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Author: Gabrielle Ellis

I am a  recent PhD grad in Biological Oceanography at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. I study the community ecology of abyssal animals across space, time, and habitat, and I ask questions often with regard to human impact, specifically deep-sea mining.
Opening our eyes in the deep, dark ocean
deep sea

Opening our eyes in the deep, dark ocean

Our visits to the deep sea are numerous, but how well do we know this remote ecosystem?
June 12, 2025June 11, 2025 Gabrielle Ellis
Don’t forget about the little guys: documenting diversity in the ocean
Biodiversity

Don’t forget about the little guys: documenting diversity in the ocean

Diversity in the world's oceans is biased towards larger animals, with so many small organisms still undiscovered.
May 19, 2025June 3, 2025 Gabrielle Ellis
See ya later, alligator! The cycle of life for alligators in the deep sea
deep sea

See ya later, alligator! The cycle of life for alligators in the deep sea

Scientists sank an alligator to the depths of the Gulf to see what snaps
June 2, 2022June 1, 2022 Gabrielle Ellis
Are we casting the right net? How sampling device influences our understanding of the open ocean
Methodology

Are we casting the right net? How sampling device influences our understanding of the open ocean

Science is shaped by the tools we use -- even how we visualize the open ocean.
May 3, 2022May 3, 2022 Gabrielle Ellis
Taking a long, hard look at a classic deep-sea theory
deep sea

Taking a long, hard look at a classic deep-sea theory

Diversity is lower where there is less food: a fundamental deep-sea ecology theory. Is this true everywhere in the deep…
April 5, 2022April 7, 2022 Gabrielle Ellis
The deep-sea paradox: a vast desert-like habitat teeming with microscopic diversity
deep sea

The deep-sea paradox: a vast desert-like habitat teeming with microscopic diversity

Animals smaller than a grain of sand dominate the diversity on Earth, especially in the world’s largest biome: the deep…
March 4, 2022March 5, 2022 Gabrielle Ellis
The more (food) the merrier (polar marine fungi)
Microbiology

The more (food) the merrier (polar marine fungi)

Ever considered foraging for fungi in the Antarctic? What about in Antarctic waters? Dr. Barone and scientists discover deep-sea benthic…
February 4, 2022February 2, 2022 Gabrielle Ellis
Feeling peckish? A diet assessment of a Hawaiian shearwater
Trophic Ecology

Feeling peckish? A diet assessment of a Hawaiian shearwater

Evaluating diet from digested stomach content is difficult and can be inconclusive. That’s why scientists from Hawaii DNA sequenced it…
January 6, 2022July 29, 2022 Gabrielle Ellis
Crabby about climate change
Climate Change

Crabby about climate change

Scientists predict that climate change could have different implications for shallow and deep-water crustaceans. Read to find out more!
December 6, 2021December 6, 2021 Gabrielle Ellis
What does the deep sea sound like?
deep sea

What does the deep sea sound like?

Researchers based out of Japan show that deep-sea habitats sound distinct from both shallow water, coastal habitats, and from one…
September 6, 2021September 7, 2021 Gabrielle Ellis
Going for gold: Earth’s marvelous record holders
Conservation

Going for gold: Earth’s marvelous record holders

In the spirit of the Olympics, join us for a celebration of the ocean’s most impressive inhabitants and a reflection…
August 6, 2021August 18, 2021 Gabrielle Ellis
The high seas: where fishing meets mining
Human impacts

The high seas: where fishing meets mining

New research out of the University of Hawaiʻi considers how spatially overlapping anthropogenic impacts in the high seas may have…
July 7, 2021July 7, 2021 Gabrielle Ellis
Shedding new light: insights into earth’s largest mass migration event
Biological oceanography

Shedding new light: insights into earth’s largest mass migration event

Researchers based out of Florida use new methods to show that plankton may be a bigger contributor to the world’s…
May 10, 2021July 7, 2021 Gabrielle Ellis
Protecting the unknown: how scientists are evaluating conservation efforts in undescribed areas of the deep sea
Conservation

Protecting the unknown: how scientists are evaluating conservation efforts in undescribed areas of the deep sea

Large areas of the seafloor are designated for deep-sea mining, but much of this seascape has not been sampled or…
January 14, 2021January 14, 2021 Gabrielle Ellis
There are plenty more fish in the deep sea!
deep sea

There are plenty more fish in the deep sea!

The deep sea is far from desolate. In their latest research, Dr. Leitner et al. observe the most fish ever…
December 16, 2020December 20, 2020 Gabrielle Ellis
How to catch a dead fish: using eDNA to reconstruct past fish abundances
Methodology

How to catch a dead fish: using eDNA to reconstruct past fish abundances

Japanese researchers show an emerging method, eDNA, can be used to reconstruct fish abundances from up to 300 years ago.
November 16, 2020November 14, 2020 Gabrielle Ellis
A shell of a ride: Pteropod survival through past mass extinction events and insights into present climate change
Evolution

A shell of a ride: Pteropod survival through past mass extinction events and insights into present climate change

By looking at DNA and fossils of pelagic sea snails, Dr. Peijnenburg and colleagues are beginning to understand how this…
October 19, 2020October 22, 2020 Gabrielle Ellis
Upward and onward: how deep-sea larvae utilize vertical swimming to disperse across ocean basins
deep sea

Upward and onward: how deep-sea larvae utilize vertical swimming to disperse across ocean basins

Deep-sea larvae show vastly different dispersal ability and pathways based on simulating how they swim.
September 17, 2020September 11, 2020 Gabrielle Ellis
Oh where, oh where can micro-organisms be?
Ecology Microbiology

Oh where, oh where can micro-organisms be?

Does the width of 10 strands of human hair matter compared to the size of an entire ocean? A new…
August 20, 2020August 19, 2020 Gabrielle Ellis
Telling time in the deep sea
deep sea

Telling time in the deep sea

Can animals tell time in the pitch black of the deep-sea? Find out how researchers Dr. Audrey Mat and others…
July 21, 2020June 29, 2022 Gabrielle Ellis

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