Research Interests

I am an ecosystem ecologist and coastal scientist interested in the physical and biological drivers of ecosystem functions. Coastal ecosystems are dynamic, productive, and provide critical benefits to support human well-being, yet these ecosystems and human communities are vulnerable to anthropogenic forcing and global change. I am interested in understanding coastal ecosystem resilience and ecological responses to disturbance, as well as how restoration and management can improve ecosystem functioning. I use field experiments, long-term data records, and interdisciplinary collaboration to investigate rapid ecosystem change.

Selected Publications

Aoki, LR, Rappazzo, B, Beatty, D., Domke, LK, Eckert, GL, Eisenlord, ME, Graham, OJ, Harper, L, Hawthorne, TL, Hessing-Lewsi, M, Hovel, K, Monteith, ZL, Mueller, R, Olson, AM, Prentice, C, Stachowicz, JJ, Tomas-Nash, F, Yang, B, Duffy, JE, Gomes, CP, Harvell, CD. 2022. Disease surveillance by artificial intelligence links seagrass wasting disease to ocean warming across latitudes. Limnology and Oceanography 67: 1577-1589. doi.org/10.1002/lno.12152

Aoki, LR, Brisbin, MM, Hounshell, AG, Kincaid, DW, Larson, E, Sansom, BJ, Shogren, AJ, Smith, RS, Sullivan-Stack, J. 2022. Preparing aquatic research for an extreme future: Call for improved definitions and responsive, multidisciplinary approaches. BioScience 72: 508–520. doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biac020

Orth, RJ, Lefcheck, JS, McGlathery, KS, Aoki, LR, Luckenback, ML, Moore, KA, Oreska, MPJ, Snyder, R, Wilcox, DJ, Lusk, B. 2020. Restoration of seagrass habitat leads to rapid recovery of coastal ecosystem services. Science Advances 6: eabc6434. doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abc6434

Aoki, LR, McGlathery, KJ, Wiberg, P, Oreska, MPJ, Berger, A, Berg, P, and Orth, RJ. 2021. Seagrass recovery following marine heat wave influences sediment carbon stocks. Frontiers in Marine Science 7: 576784. doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.576784  

Teaching

ENVS 410/510, Coastal Ecology and Society in Winter

ENVS 465, Wetland Ecology in Spring