Islands in the Sand

Daniel McCarthy, PhD, is a Professor with the Department of Biology and Marine Science, and the Marine Science Research Institute, at Jacksonville University. He is a marine benthic ecologist with over 25 years of field and laboratory research experience. His research has focused on the ecology and restoration of coastal reef and estuarine systems. He obtained his Bachelor of Science at Jacksonville University, Master of Science at Florida State University, and PhD at Kings College, University of London. He served as a Postdoctoral Fellow with the Smithsonian Institution for three years before coming to Jacksonville University.Ken Lindeman, PhD, is a Professor in the Dept. of Ocean Engineering and Marine Sciences, Florida Institute of Technology. His work focuses on nearshore habitats, fish development, marine protected areas, and coastal climate adaptation. He has worked as a research scientist with NOAA, the University of Miami, and several conservation science nonprofitorganizations. Over 70 research publications include articles in over 20 peer-review journals and three co-authored or co-edited books. He received a BS in Biological Sciences at FIT, MS in Marine Sciences, University of Puerto Rico, and PhD at the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami.    David Snyder, MS is a senior scientist with CSA Ocean Sciences Inc in Stuart, Florida. He is a fish ecologist and marine biologist with more than 35 years of experience.  He has participated marine environmental assessments worldwide and has sampled fishes from a variety of habitats ranging from the continental slope to freshwater streams. Such efforts have included multiple surveys of fishes and epibiota associated with nearshore reefs subject to impact from dredge and fill projects off the eastern and western Florida coasts. He obtained his Bachelor of Science from University of Florida and his Master of Science from Florida Atlantic University.Karen Holloway-Adkins, PhD, research interests center on sea turtle ecology; studying inwater developmental habitat and the ecological role of sea turtles in marine ecosystems. Special interests include macroalgae identification, grazer impacts on aquatic vegetation, and discerning resource competition vs. partitioning among herbivores. Karen is a biologist and the Executive Director of East Coast Biologists, Inc. (a non-profit for scientific research and education) in Indialantic, Florida. She received Bachelor and Master’s degrees in biology from University of Central Florida and a Doctoral degree from Florida Atlantic University. She currently serves as Courtesy Affiliate Faculty within the Biology Department at both universities

• Introduction: the Habitat and the Ecosystem.- Shallow Hardbottom of East Florida and the Caribbean and the Regional Shelf Setting.- Macroalgae and Cyanobacteria.- Invertebrates.- Fish Assemblages.- Marine Turtles.- Functional Ecological Attributes of Shallow Hardbottom.- Mitigating Shallow Hardbottom Impacts.- Literature Cited.- Appendices.