Coastal Systems Ecology Lab

University of Hawai’i at Mānoa

Reef communities vary across space, and those differences matter when assessing their resilience. Donahue’s Coastal Systems Ecology Lab studies marine ecology in the Pacific Islands, using quantitative modeling to investigate populations and communities. Projects examine coral demography, connections among reef communities, and environmental influences on the erosion of reef structures by living organisms. The group also investigates spatial variation in coral disease. Its research connects ecological mechanisms with coastal ecosystem health, providing information relevant to local management decisions and forecasts of ecosystem change.