Author: R J Parker

Hi! I'm Rebecca Parker. I'm an ecologist and plant lover working in non-profit conservation in Nova Scotia Canada. I trained at Dalhousie and Ryerson University, where I completed a Masters in Environmental Science and Management. I like botany, wetlands, and wetland botany! On the sciencey side, I like to write about current topics in population and community ecology, but I'm also really interested in environmental outreach, how exposure to science and demographics affect environmental values and behaviours, and best practices for building community capacity in environmental stewardship. Check out my instagram for photos of the awesome nature I see through my work.

Old Bay of Fundy dykelands could sequester massive amounts of carbon if restored to saltmarsh

Blue Carbon Blue carbon is a term scientists use to describe the organic material contained within all the living…

Climate Change Invasive Species

Agricultural Stewardship Could Prevent Invasive Species Takeover Downstream

Phragmites australis, or Common Reed, is a marine grass likely introduced to North America from Eurasia in the late…

Coral Human impacts

Just Put on the Market: Ideal for Coral Reef Development

Scientists Identify Best Spots for Reef Restoration Coral reefs have been front and center in the news lately, as rising…

Behavior Human impacts

Facts not enough to stop whale watching vessels from disturbing killer whales

Marine-based eco tourism is a fast-growing industry for many countries and vital part of coastal economies. In many places,…

Ecology Invasive Species

Invasive seagrass changes fish community in the US Virgin Islands

Seagrass meadows provide food and habitat for a variety of fish species. Juvenile fish are particularly dependent on the meadows,…

Invasive Species

Fantastic Invaders and Where to Find Them (Galapagos Edition)

Alien species are a commonly known and growing global concern. Increasingly transported to new locations and often following significant and…

Climate Change Ecology

Local disturbance and global warming unite to make seagrasses taste better to predators

Seagrasses form some of the most important habitats in the marine world. Under threat from global climate change as well…

Ecology Invasive Species

Aliens in the kelp forests – community ecology and Miso soup

In the plant world, competition between species is almost always over space. Space dictates how much sunlight, nutrients, and potential mates…

Invasive Species

Builders or Opportunistic Squatters? Invasive Species Drives Ecosystem Change on Georges Bank

See article here: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10530-017-1517-y Tunicates are underappreciated seafloor animals. Living sedentary lives and resembling some kind of marine slime, they…

Book Review Climate Change

Size Matters: Big Eelgrass Beds Hold More Carbon

Oreska MPJ, McGlathery KJ, Porter JH (2017) Seagrass blue carbon spatial patterns at the meadow-scale. PLoS ONE 12(4): e0176630. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0176630…

Book Review Pollution

Spotlight on Constructed Wetlands

Wetlands are one of the world’s powerhouses for ecosystem services, filtering our water, controlling coastal erosion, and providing feeding and…

Biochemistry Biological oceanography Book Review Genetics Methodology Survey technology

The Entire Ocean in a Drop

Article: Stoeckle MY, Soboleva L, Charlop- Powers Z (2017) Aquatic environmental DNA detects seasonal fish abundance and habitat preference in…

Aquaculture Behavior Coastal Management Economy Fisheries Science Communication

Public Perceptions of Aquaculture Show Lack of Ocean Literacy

Article: Froehlich HE, Gentry RR, Rust MB, Grimm D, Halpern BS (2017) Public Perceptions of Aquaculture: Evaluating Spatiotemporal Patterns of…

Climate Change Ecology Seagrass

Life Finds a Way: Eelgrass Beds Respond in Surprising Ways to Extreme Warming Events

Article: Reynolds LK, DuBois K, Abbott JM, Williams SL, Stachowicz JJ (2016) Response of a Habitat-Forming Marine Plant to a…