Samantha Levell
Visiting Assistant Professor of Fish Biology
New College of Florida
ABOUT ME
I grew up in Florida, surrounded by incredible fresh and saltwater ecosystems. Through my adventures in these habitats and interning with Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, I developed a love for fishes and fish keeping. I began my career as a scientist studying the Least Killifish, Heterandria formosa, as an undergraduate in Joseph Travis' lab at Florida State University. I continued my passion for researching fishes during my PhD student in David Reznick's lab at the University of California, Riverside. Currently, I am a Visiting Assistant Professor of Fish Biology at New College of Florida. I am teaching courses about fish biology as well as data analysis and evolution. I am excited to begin research projects in the habitats I knew and loved my whole life.
Syngnathids & Seagrass
Current project at New College of Florida
Seahorses and pipefish in the family Syngnathidae are quite unique fish. They have evolved a flattened body shape that allows them to move easily in small spaces. They have also evolved long snouts that allow them to suck small animals from the water column. Both of these features make them well-suited to live in coastal seagrass habitats. Because of many species' dependency on seagrass, they are at risk as seagrass declines, which has been demonstrated in Syngnathus scovelli as shown in the following figure from Adams et al. 2022:
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But, we do not fully understand the factors in seagrass communities that syngnathids rely on. It is assumed that they use these habitats for food and shelter, but how do declines in seagrass affect their populations? Specifically, what are the effects of seagrass decline on:
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Jaw morphology (using FWC's FIM samples) as a result of possible changes in prey availability?
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Reproduction (including mating behavior and offspring output)?
I am exploring these questions using field and lab studies in S. scovelli and other syngnathids in Florida.
Check out other ongoing projects in the "Projects" tab
CONTACT ME
I am always on the lookout for collaborations and research students!
Feel free to contact me at:
slevell(at)ncf.edu
