Principal Investigator
Our core missions are to track the pulse of biotic change in the estuaries and coastlines along the Pacific Coast of North America and to develop new ways of conserving our increasingly urbanized shorelines. We identify non-native species in San Francisco Bay and surrounding coastlines, from Alaska to Panama, learn how their life cycles work in these new environs, and determine what effects they might be having on resident communities. We aim to make the consequences of moving species to strange new oceans both known and predictable, and to understand how these species will interact with changing climate regimes. And as our shorelines face increasingly extreme environments, we seek ways to increase and protect biodiversity while preserving our infrastructure.
Since 2000, our researchers have maintained a laboratory on San Francisco Bay, at San Francisco State University’s marine research and teaching facility, the Estuary & Ocean Science Center (EOS Center). A 2013 Memorandum of Understanding (renewed in 2018) between the Smithsonian, San Francisco State University, and the San Francisco Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, expanded our relationship and signified our joint commitment to understand and protect the marine environment. We are excited to be part of a community of researchers engaged in working out the effects of global change, invasions, shoreline conservation, and many other pressing issues in truly complementary fashion.
The SERC West team includes Dr. Andrew Chang (Lead Scientist), Dr. Chela Zabin, Julia Blum, Jeff Blumenthal, Jessika De Jesus, Corryn Knapp, Kelly Lion, Linda McCann, Dr. Paula Pappalardo, and Maggie Stoffer.
Community Ecology
We have undertaken intensive, long-term studies of marine and estuarine communities across several habitats in California and especially San Francisco Bay, including hard substrates (fouling), soft sediment benthos, and plankton. We have used settlement panels to study fouling community development and invasion impacts since 2000 as part of an international effort to understand and document patterns of the species distributions and invasion in marine coastal waters. Recent studies have paired traditional morphological approaches to species identification with genetic approaches (with our collaborators, Dr. Katrina Lohan and Dr. Jonathan Geller) to get a more complete picture of the species in California bays and near-shore environments.
Shoreline Conservation: Green to Gray
As our sea level rises and our shorelines face more extreme conditions, efforts to conserve and protect both nature and human interests have encompassed a wide variety of approaches. For nearly two decades, we have tested innovative methods for increasing and protecting biodiversity across shorelines both green and gray, and we have studied native biota, including California's only native oyster, the Olympia oyster Ostrea lurida. Our experience spans the gamut from green infrastructure (Living Shorelines) to gray (Living Seawalls).
Native Olympia Oysters
We collaborate with a number of organizations to investigate native Olympia oyster (Ostrea lurida) demographics along California’s shorelines. Using a rigorous combination of field surveys, laboratory experiments, and population modeling, we examine the influence of environmental factors, climate change, and non-native species on the distribution and abundance of native oysters. We are also investigating oyster enhancement and restoration methods in San Francisco Bay and Elkhorn Slough.
Invasive Species
Who is out there?
We conduct invertebrate surveys in California bays and beyond to learn about the diversity and distribution of introduced marine and estuarine species.
How are they getting around?
Vessels of all kinds move species within and between bays. Our scientific divers conduct in-water hull surveys of boats and ships in West Coast ports and beyond to assess the role of vessel biofouling in moving organisms from port to port. Read more about our work on cargo and cruise ships in the Smithsonian Magazine.
Can we get rid of them?
We have studied ways to make eradication of targeted non-native pest species more efficient and effective, and have undertaken numerous eradication efforts, including the Japanese Mudsnail (Batillaria attramentaria) and the colonial tunicate Didemnum vexillum. Most recently, we worked with UC Davis and NOAA to monitor and eradicate a local population of non-native European Green Crabs (Carcinus maenas) near Stinson Beach, CA, and have investigated the possibility of functional eradication of the Atlantic oyster drill (Urosalpinx cinerea) as part of native Olympia oyster restoration efforts.
Participatory Science
Volunteer scientists form an essential and dedicated component of our research efforts. We run a Participatory Science network (PlateWatch and Green Crab Watch) to monitor for target non-native species along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to California. Participants include scientists from local state and federal agencies, concerned citizens, school groups and native groups. Within San Francisco Bay, we run Participatory Science programs to track Olympia oyster recruitment and the movement and predatory effects of the introduced snail Urosalpinx cinerea. If you wish to participate in any SI Participatory Science program, please contact Rachael Mady for more information at madyr@si.edu.
Mentoring
We mentor interns and students in a wide range of capacities, and we usually host several undergraduate interns each summer. Our interns come from STAR and REU programs at San Francisco State University as well as the Smithsonian Internship program, which includes an REU program and numerous other opportunities. Each student participates in major lab projects as well as designs and executes an individual research project. Please see each program for their requirements and how to apply.
We advise M.S. students through San Francisco State University's Interdisciplinary Marine & Estuarine Sciences program. Please contact Andy Chang for more information.
Lessons from the Field: A Living Seawall, One Year Later. By Sara Aoki. February 1, 2024
Creating a “Living Seawall” in San Francisco Bay. By Jaylene Lopez. December 14, 2022
Repurposing Nature To Restore The San Francisco Shoreline. By Aliya Uteuova. August 14, 2020
Intern Jessenia Suarez Talks Heatwave Biology, Being Latina in STEM. By Alison Haigh. February 14, 2020
Could Seaweed Save Oysters? Teacher-Fellow Jason Thomas Brings Science From Beach To Classroom. By Alison Haigh. February 14, 2020
San Francisco’s Record-Setting Algal Bloom Leaves Streak Of Mysteries In Its Wake. By Jaylene Lopez. December 2, 2022
How Golden Star Tunicates Make Themselves at Home in an Alien Ecosystem. By Philip Kiefer. October 26, 2018
War of the Periwinkles. By Philip Kiefer. October 9, 2018
Teaching Moment: Research Takes a Right Turn. By Philip Kiefer. October 5, 2018
In San Francisco, One Wet Winter Can Switch Up Bay’s Invasive Species. By Kristen Minogue. December 7, 2017
Q&A Interview With Artist Tanja Geis. By Ryan Greene. August 11, 2017
Tidings from the Sunset Coast (4): An Ecological History of SERC-West’s California Home. By Ryan Greene. August 8, 2017
Tidings from the Sunset Coast (3): Countin’ Crabs at Seadrift Lagoon. By Ryan Greene. August 3, 2017
Tidings from the Sunset Coast (2): SERC-West Summer Intern Spotlights. By Ryan Greene. July 25, 2017
Tidings from the Sunset Coast (1): How California’s Record-Setting Rains Are Reshaping the Ecology of San Francisco Bay. By Ryan Greene. July 12, 2017
Westward, Ho! MarineGEO Enters The Pacific. By Kristen Minogue. November 16, 2016
Uncharted waters: what barnacles can teach us about species dispersal. By Emily Anderson and Monaca Noble. July 14, 2016
Spaghetti’s on the Menu in the Galapagos. By Linda McCann and Monaca Noble. October 1, 2015
From Big Ships to Small Boats – the Secondary Spread of Introduced Species. By Monaca Noble and Chela Zabin. July 1, 2014
Volunteers Search for Invaders in Alaska Bioblitz. By Monaca Noble, Kristen Larson, Linda McCann, and Ian Davidson. October 28, 2013
Celebrating 13 Years of Invasive Species Research in San Francisco Bay and Forming a Partnership for the Future. By Monaca Noble and Greg Ruiz. August 5, 2013
Unwanted Species: The Fouling Community. By Monaca Noble. July 1, 2012
Fighting European Green Crabs in Seadrift Lagoon. By Monaca Noble and Christopher Brown. December 1, 2011
Adapt: From the Dock to the Mudflat. By Monaca Noble and Chela Zabin. February 1, 2011
2024
Blumenthal JG, Chang AL, Cheng BS, Hines EM, Nanus L, and Zabin CJ (in press) Fine-scale habitat factors linked to density but not distribution of an invasive estuarine predator. Aquatic Invasions.
McCann LD, Hitchcock NG, Winston JE, Chang AL, Carlton JT, and GM Ruiz (in press) Non-Native Marine and Estuarine Fouling Bryozoans Detected Along North American Coasts: A Twenty-Year Synthesis. Aquatic Invasions.
Zabin CJ, Chang AL, Blumenthal J, Cheng BS (2024) Exploring high intertidal refugia as an approach for the restoration of an intertidal oyster. Marine Ecology Progress Series 738:119–132. DOI: 10.3354/meps14590
2023
Gonzalez JA, Ruiz GM, Chang AL, and Boyer KE (2023) Effects of a non-native crab on the restoration of cordgrass in San Francisco Bay. Ecological Restoration 42: 28–41. DOI:10.3368/er.42.1.28
2022
Jewett EB, Larson KJ, Lawson KN, Tracy BM, Altman S, Chang AL, Cowan S, Crooks J, Huber T, Wells EH, and GM Ruiz (2022) Differences in fouling community composition and space occupation across broad spatial and temporal scales. Frontiers in Marine Science. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2022.933405
Heineke, Marcella R. ; Kimbro, David L. ; Zabin, Chela J. ; Grosholz, Edwin D.. (2023). Harnessing trophic cascades to improve foundation species restoration: A meta-analysis. Ecosphere, 14 (10) http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4675
Zabin, Chela J., Bible, Jillian M., Jurgens, Laura J., Patten, Melissa V., Chang, Andrew L., Grosholz, Edwin D., and Boyer, Katharyn E. (2022) Increasing the resilience of ecological restoration to extreme climatic events. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/fee.2471
Ashton, Gail V. ; Freestone, Amy L. ; Duffy, J. Emmett ; et al. (2022). Predator control of marine communities increases with temperature across 115 degrees of latitude. Science, 376 (6598) , 1215-1219. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abc4916
2021
Cheng, Brian S., Blumenthal, Jeffrey G., Chang, Andrew L., Barley, Jordana, Nielsen, Karina J., Ruiz, Gregory M., and Zabin, Chela J. (2021) Severe invasive predator impacts on native oysters despite attempted functional eradication. Biological Invasions. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-021-02677-3
Grosholz, Edwin D., Ashton, Gail, Bradley, Marko, Ceballos, Lina, Chang, Andrew L., deRivera, Catherine, Gonzalez, Julie, Heineke, Marcella, Maraffini, Michelle, McCann, Linda, Pollard, Erica, Pritchard, Ian, Ruiz, Gregory, and Tepolt, Carolyn (2021) Dramatic Population Irruption Defeats Eradication of an Invasive Marine Predator. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2003955118
Edmiston, Christine A., Cochlan William P., Ikeda, Christopher E., and Chang, Andrew L. (2021) Impacts of a temperate to tropical voyage on the microalgal hull fouling community of an atypically-operated vessel. Marine Pollution Bulletin 165: 112112. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112112
Ridlon, April D. ; Marks, Althea ; Zabin, Chela J. ; Zacherl, Danielle ; Allen, Brian ; Crooks, Jeffrey ; Fleener, Gary ; Grosholz, Edwin ; Peabody, Betsy ; Toft, Jodie ; Wasson, Kerstin. (2021). Conservation of Marine Foundation Species: Learning from Native Oyster Restoration from California to British Columbia. Estuaries and Coasts, http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-021-00920-7
Ridlon, April D. ; Wasson, Kerstin ; Waters, Tiffany ; Adams, John ; Donatuto, Jamie ; Fleener, Gary ; Froehlich, Halley ; Govender, Rhona ; Kornbluth, Aaron ; Lorda, Julio ; Peabody, Betsy ; Iv, Gifford Pinchot ; Rumrill, Steven S. ; Tobin, Elizabeth ; Zabin, Chela J. ; Zacherl, Danielle ; Grosholz, Edwin D. (2021). Conservation aquaculture as a tool for imperiled marine species: Evaluation of opportunities and risks for Olympia oysters, Ostrea lurida. Plos One, 16 (6) http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0252810
Wasson, Kerstin ; Gossard, Daniel J. ; Gardner, Luke ; Hain, Peter R. ; Zabin, Chela J. ; Fork, Susanne ; Ridlon, April D. ; Bible, Jillian M. ; Deck, Anna K. ; Hughes, Brent B. (2020). A scientific framework for conservation aquaculture: A case study of oyster restoration in central California. Biological Conservation, 250 , 108745-108745. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108745
2020
Chang, Andrew L.(2020) Down the up staircase: Equatorward march of a cold-water ascidian and broader implications for invasion biology. Diversity and Distributions. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/ddi.13055
2019
Jimenez, H., Chang, A.L. and Ruiz, G.M. (2019). Consistent geographic patterns in soft-sediment community composition along an estuarine gradient. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 227 (2) , 106324. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2019.106324
2018
Jimenez, H., Keppel, E., Chang, A.L. and Ruiz, G.M. (2018). Erratum to: Invasions in Marine Communities: Contrasting Species Richness and Community Composition Across Habitats and Salinity. Estuaries and Coasts, 41 (2) , 611. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0315-1
Jimenez, H., Keppel, E., Chang, A.L. and Ruiz, G.M. (2018). Invasions in Marine Communities: Contrasting Species Richness and Community Composition Across Habitats and Salinity. Estuaries and Coasts, 41 (2) , 484-494. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0292-4
Newcomer, Katherine A., Marraffini, Michelle L., and Chang, Andrew L. (2018) Distribution patterns of an introduced encrusting bryozoan, Conopeum chesapeakensis (Banta, Perez and Santagata, 1995) in an estuarine environment in upper San Francisco Bay. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 504: 20–31. DOI: 10.1016/j.jembe.2018.04.001
Zabin, C. J., Davidson, I.C., Holzer, K.K., Smith, G., Ashton, G.V., Tamburri, M.N., and Ruiz, G.M. 2018. How will vessels be inspected to meet emerging biofouling regulations for the prevention of marine invasions? Management of Biological Invasions (9). (Online: June, 18 2018)
2017
Chang, Andrew.L., Brown, Christopher W., Crooks, Jeffrey A., Ruiz, Gregory M. (2017). Dry and wet periods drive rapid shifts in community assembly in an estuarine ecosystem. Global Change Biology. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13972
Marraffini, Michelle L., Brown, Christopher W., Ashton, Gail, Chang, Andrew L., and Ruiz, Gregory M. (2017) Do settlement plates effectively sample established fouling communities for non-indigenous species? Management of Biological Invasions.
Jimenez, Haizea, Keppel, Erica, Chang Andrew L., and Ruiz, Gregory M. (2017) Invasions in marine communities: contrasting patterns of species richness and community composition across habitats and salinity. Estuaries and Coasts. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0292-4
Tracy, Brianna, Larson, Kristen, Ashton, Gail, Lambert, Gretchen, Chang, Andrew L., and Ruiz, Gregory M. (2017) Northward range expansion of three non-native ascidians on the west coast of North America. BioInvasions Records. http://dx.doi.org/10.3391/bir.2017.6.3.04
2016
Cheng, Brian S., Chang, Andrew L., Deck, Anna and Ferner, Matthew C. (2016). Atmospheric rivers and the mass mortality of wild oysters: insight into an extreme future? Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283 (1844) http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2016.1462
Chang, Andrew L., Deck, Anna K., Sullivan, Lindsay J., Morgan, Steven G., and Ferner, Matthew C. (2016) Upstream – downstream shifts in a recruitment hotspot of the native Olympia oyster in San Francisco Bay during wet and dry years. Estuaries and Coasts. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-016-0182-1
Crooks, Jeffrey A., Chang, Andrew L. and Ruiz, Gregory M. (2016). Decoupling the response of an estuarine shrimp to architectural components of habitat structure. PeerJ, 4 http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.2244
Jimenez, Haizea, and Ruiz, Gregory M. (2016). Contribution of non-native species to soft-sediment marine community structure of San Francisco Bay, California. Biological Invasions. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1147-9
Wasson, Kerstin, Hughes, Brent B., Berriman, John S., Chang, Andrew L., Deck, Anna K., Dinnel, Paul A., Endris, Charlie, Espinoza, Michael, Dudas, Sarah, Ferner, Matthew C., Grosholz, Edwin D., Kimbro, David, Ruesink, Jennifer L., Trimble, Alan C., Vander Schaaf, Dick, Zabin, Chela J. and Zacherl, Danielle C. (2016). Coast-wide recruitment dynamics of Olympia oysters reveal limited synchrony and multiple predictors of failure. Ecology, 97 (12) , 3503-3516. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1602
Zabin, Chela J., Wasson, Kerstin and Fork, Susanne. (2016). Restoration of native oysters in a highly invaded estuary. Biological Conservation, 202, 78-87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2016.08.026
Ashton, Gail V., Davidson, Ian C., Geller, Jonathan, and Ruiz, Gregory M. (2016). Disentangling the biogeography of ship biofouling: barnacles in the Northeast Pacific. Global Ecology and Biogeography, 25, 739–750. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/geb.12450
2015 and older
McCann, Linda, Keith, Inti., Carlton, James T., Ruiz, Gregory M., Dawson, Terence P. and Collins, Ken. (2015). First record of the non-native bryozoan Amathia (Zoobotryon) verticillata (delle Chiaje, 1822) (Ctenostomata) in the Galapagos Islands. BioInvasions Records, 4 (4) , 255-260.http://dx.doi.org/10.3391/bir.2015.4.4.04
Ashton, Gail, Davidson, Ian C. and Ruiz, Gregory M. (2014). Transient small boats as a long-distance coastal vector for dispersal of biofouling organisms. Estuaries and Coasts, 37 (6) , 1572-1581.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-014-9782-9
Canning-Clode, João, Fofonoff, Paul, McCann, Linda, Carlton, James T. and Ruiz, Gregory M. (2013). Marine invasions on a subtropical island: Fouling studies and new records in a recent marina on Madeira Island (Eastern Atlantic Ocean). Aquatic Invasions, 8 , 1-10.
McCann, Linda D., Holzer, Kimberly K., Davidson, Ian C., Ashton, Gail V., Chapman, Marnie D. and Ruiz, Gregory M. (2013). Promoting invasive species control and eradication in the sea: Options for managing the tunicate invader Didemnum vexillum in Sitka, Alaska. Marine pollution bulletin, 77 (1-2) , 165-171. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2013.10.011