Congratulations to Aimee Cook on her successful M.S. thesis defense!

We are excited to congratulate Aimee Cook on the successful defense of her M.S. thesis, a study that explores the relationship between coral reef structural complexity and the foraging behavior of herbivorous fish. Her research, conducted in Kāne‘ohe Bay, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i, highlights how changes in reef structure affect these essential fish species.

Study Highlights

Aimee's research focuses on herbivorous fish, which maintain coral reef health by controlling algal populations. With coral reefs facing degradation from bleaching and other stressors, her study investigates how this affects fish foraging behavior. Using Structure from Motion (SfM) photogrammetry, she measured reef complexity and conducted surveys to assess fish community structure and foraging behaviors.

Her findings reveal that as reef complexity decreases, both the foraging range and abundance of fish decline, with fishes concentrating their foraging at reef edges. Fish at more complex reefs show greater foraging distances and more varied behaviors, underscoring the importance of reef structure in supporting healthy fish communities.

Implications

Aimee's work underscores the need to maintain and restore reef complexity to support herbivorous fish and overall reef health. Her research provides valuable insights that can guide conservation efforts to mitigate the impacts of coral degradation.

Congratulations once again to Aimee Cook for her outstanding work and successful thesis defense. We are proud of her achievements and look forward to her continued contributions to marine science.