Faculty Projects and Publications

Robert J. (Rob) Toonen

I have a hard time describing my research program in a few sentences. During my research career, I have used a variety of approaches including individual behavioral assays, ecological experiments in both the field and laboratory, and molecular genetic tools in an effort to address a variety of interesting questions. In the process, I have conducted or collaborated on a wide range of research projects centered on marine invertebrates. These projects include jellyfish feeding behavior, chemical defenses of coral reef sponges, genetic structure and patterns of speciation in corals, cues for larval settlement, population genetics and phylogenetics of marine invertebrates, and marine ornamental culture.
Obviously, with that grocery list of interests, it is not simple to describe myself fully in a paragraph here. However, much of my current research focuses on the processes that influence dispersal and recruitment in coastal marine invertebrates, and I am particularly interested in the evolutionary consequences of larval developmental modes among marine invertebrates. In general, I try to approach my research from an ecological perspective to scale up from genes to individuals to populations, and ultimately to the micro- and macro-evolutionary consequences of the processes I study. Although this was not true in the past, having our lab within 50 yards of a gorgeous coral reef now tends to bias my interests towards coral reef invertebrates…

Marine Ecology Progress Series Review Staff Anonymous Referee
American Society of Naturalists
Society for the Study of Evolution
American Microscopical Society
Division of Invertebrate Zoology of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology