Affiliated Scientists

Laura Petes

Dr. Laura Petes

CURRENT ADDRESS
NOAA Climate Program Office
1315 East-West Highway, SSMC3, Rm 12712
Silver Spring, MD 20910
E-mail: lpetes@bio.fsu.edu

Curriculum Vitae

My broad research questions focus on how stress affects marine invertebrates by incorporating physiological tools into ecological methods.  My previous research in Oregon found that rocky intertidal mussels under stress exhibit life-history trade-offs, allocating energy away from growth and reproduction and towards costly physiological defenses.  I discovered that mussels in relatively high-stress areas of the intertidal zone accumulate high concentrations of antioxidant carotenoid pigments, potentially to defend themselves from damaging oxidative stress.  My research in New Zealand found that two rocky intertidal mussel species have differences in thermotolerance, with one species exhibiting more sublethal stress consequences and mortality as a result of high aerial temperatures.  These results provide insight into the potential effects of climate change on marine ecosystems.

At FSUCML, I am studying how changes in freshwater input into Apalachicola Bay, Florida affect subtidal oyster populations.  I am performing field and laboratory experiments to investigate salinity effects on oyster survival, growth, reproduction, recruitment, and disease, as well as larval survival and predator-prey interactions.  Preliminary results indicate that high salinity leads to high disease-related mortality due to severe infection from Dermo disease, caused by a protozoan parasite.  In addition, I am collaborating on a project to compare thermotolerance and condition of native intertidal estuarine oyster populations in Florida with invasive intertidal oysters in Britain.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Petes, L.E., B.A. Menge, and A.L. Harris.  2008. Intertidal mussels exhibit energetic trade-offs between reproduction and stress resistance. Ecological Monographs 78 (3): 387-402.

Petes, L.E., B.A. Menge, F. Chan, and M.A.H. Webb. 2008. Gonadal tissue color is not a reliable indicator of sex in rocky intertidal mussels. Aquatic Biology 3: 63-70.

Petes, L.E., M.E. Mouchka, R.H. Milston-Clements, T.S. Momoda, and B.A. Menge.  2008. Effects of environmental stress on intertidal mussels and their sea star predators. Oecologia 156: 671-680.

Petes, L.E., B.A. Menge, and G.D. Murphy.  2007.  Environmental stress decreases survival, growth, and reproduction in New Zealand mussels.  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 351: 83-91.

K.M. Mullen, C.D. Harvell, A.P. Alker, D. Dube, E. Jordan, J.R. Ward, and L.E. Petes. 2006.  Host range and resistance to aspergillosis in three sea fan species from the Yucatán.  Marine Biology 149: 1355-1364.

Petes, L.E., C.D. Harvell, E.C. Peters, M.A.H. Webb, and K.M. Mullen. 2003. Pathogens induce melanization and compromise reproduction in Caribbean sea fans. Marine Ecology Progress Series 264: 167-171.

Bruno, J.F., Petes, L.E., C.D. Harvell, and A. Hettinger. 2003. Nutrient enrichment increases the severity of two Caribbean coral diseases. Ecology Letters 6: 1056- 1061.