Professional Background:

Research Synopsis

The research in our lab is focused on understanding and conserving the structure and dynamics of marine communities.   We work in a variety of marine habitats including coral reefs, coastal wetland and sand dune plant communities, oyster reefs, sea grass beds, and other estuarine habitats. Current projects include investigations of the link between rising ocean temperatures and regional-scale coral disease epidemics, the importance of predator biodiversity in food webs, marine metacommunity dynamics, and the dispersal of marine plants and animals.   For more information on and pictures of our current research, link to our lab research webpage: 

Selected recent publications

Bruno, J.F., E.R. Selig, K.S. Casey, C.A. Page, B.L. Willis, C.D. Harvell, H. Sweatman, and A.M. Melendy. 2007. Thermal stress and coral cover as drivers of coral disease outbreaks. In press at PLoS Biology

Halpern, B.S., B.R. Silliman, J.D. Olden, J.F. Bruno, and M.D. Bertness 2007. Incorporating positive interactions in aquatic restoration and conservation. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 5:153-160

 O’Connor, M.I., J.F. Bruno, S.D. Gaines, B.S. Halpern, S.E. Lester, B.P. Kinlan, and J.M. Weiss. 2007. Temperature control of larval dispersal and the implications for marine ecology, evolution and conservation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA 104:1266-1271

 Bruno, J.F., S.C. Lee, J.S. Kertesz, R.C. Carpenter, Z.T. Long, and J.E. Duffy. 2006. Partitioning the effects of algal species identity and richness on benthic marine primary production. Oikos 115:170-178


Bruno, J.F., Boyer, K.E., Duffy, J.E., Lee, S.C., and Kertesz, J.S. 2005. Effects of species identity and richness on primary production in benthic marine communities. Ecology Letters 8:1165-1174

Bruno, J.F., and M.I. O’Connor. 2005. Cascading effects of predator diversity and omnivory in a marine food web. Ecology Letters 8:1048-1056