About Me

As an Assistant Scientist at the University of Miami's Cooperative Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Studies (CIMAS) and NOAA's Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML), I am leveraging the Experimental Reef Laboratory and advanced molecular techniques to assess coral resilience and stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) susceptibility. To learn more about my current research projects, please visit the AOML Coral Program website. My postdoctoral fellowship characterized the responses of corals to SCTLD and intervention strategies using RNA-Seq gene expression profiling and 3D modeling. My dissertation research examined the ecology of mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs, 30 – 150m), specifically the genetic connectivity among shallow and mesophotic reefs and the role of phenotypic plasticity in coral adaptation to depth, as part of the research objectives of NOAA’s Cooperative Institute for Ocean Exploration, Research, and Technology (CIOERT).

​My long-term goals include incorporating advanced 'omics techniques into assessments of coral health and ecosystem services across populations, as well as encouraging conservation of reef resources through effective research, monitoring, and management. 
EDUCATION
2018          Ph.D., Integrative Biology 
                   Florida Atlantic University

2016          M.S., Biological Sciences 
                   Florida Atlantic University

2011          B.A., Biology
                   St. Mary's College of Maryland
                   Minors: Film & Media Studies, Environmental Studies
PUBLICATIONS
  1. Young BD, Williamson OM, Kron N, Andrade Rodriguez N, Isma LM, MacKnight NJ, Muller EM, Rosales SM, Sirotzke S, Traylor-Knowles N, Williams SD, Studivan MS (in review) Annotated genome and transcriptome of the endangered Caribbean mountainous star coral (Orbicella faveolata) using PacBio long-read sequencing. BMC Genomics
  2. Zhang Y, Gantt SE, Keister EF, Elder H, Kolodziej G, Aguilar C, Studivan MS, Williams DE, Kemp DW, Manzello DP, Enochs IC, Kenkel CD (in press) Performance of Orbicella faveolata larval cohorts does not align with previously observed thermal tolerance of adult source populations. Global Change Biology
  3. Sturm AS, Eckert RJ, Carreiro A, Klein A, Studivan MS, Dodge-Farelli D, Simões N, González-Díaz P, González Méndez J, Voss JD (in revision) Does depth divide? Variable genetic connectivity patterns among shallow and mesophotic Montastraea cavernosa coral populations across the Gulf of Mexico and western Caribbean. Ecology and Evolution
  4. Morris JT; Enochs IC; Studivan MS; Young BD; Mayfield A; Soderberg N; Traylor-Knowles N; Kolodziej G; Manzello D (2023) Ocean acidification influences the gene expression and physiology of two Caribbean bioeroding sponges. Frontiers in Marine Science 10:1223380 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1223380 PDF
  5. Studivan MS, Eckert RJ, Shilling E, Soderberg N, Enochs IC, Voss JD (2023) Stony coral tissue loss disease intervention with amoxicillin leads to a reversal of disease-modulated gene expression pathways. Molecular Ecology 32:5394–5413 doi: 10.1111/mec.17110 PDF
  6. Enochs IC, Studivan MS, Kolodziej G, Foord C, Basden I, Boyd A, Formel N, Kirkland A, Rubin E, Jankulak M, Smith I, Kelble C, Manzello D (2023) Coral persistence despite marginal conditions in the Port of Miami. Scientific Reports 13:6759 doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-33467-7 PDF
  7. Robertson EP, Walsh DP, Martin J, Work TM, Kellogg CA, Evans JS, Barker V, Hawthorn A, Aeby G, Paul VJ, Walker BK, Kiryu Y, Woodley CM, Meyer JL, Rosales SM, Studivan MS, Moore JF, Brandt ME, Bruckner A (2023) Rapid prototyping for quantifying belief weights of competing hypotheses about emergent diseases. Journal of Environmental Management 337:117668 doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2023.117668 PDF
  8. Johnston MA, Studivan MS, Enochs IC, Correa AMS, Besemer N, Eckert RJ, Edwards K, Hannum R, Hu X, Nuttall M, O'Connell K, Palacio-Castro AM, Schmahl GP, Sturm AB, Ushijima B, Voss JD (2023) Coral disease outbreak at the remote Flower Garden Banks, Gulf of Mexico. ​Frontiers in Marine Science 10:1111749 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2023.1111749 PDF
  9. ​​Studivan MS, Baptist M, Molina V, Riley S, First M, Soderberg N, Rubin E, Rossin A, Holstein D, Enochs IC (2022) Transmission of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) in simulated ballast water confirms the potential for ship-born spread. Scientific Reports 12:19248 10.1038/s41598-022-21868-z PDF
  10. Traylor-Knowles N, Baker AC, Beavers KM, Garg N, Guyon JR, Hawthorn A, MacKnight NJ, Medina M, Mydlarz LD, Peters EC, Stewart JM, Studivan MS, Voss JD (2022) Advances in immunity ‘omics in response to coral disease outbreaks. Frontiers in Marine Science 9:952199 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2022.952199 PDF
  11. Studivan MS, Rossin AM, Rubin E, Soderberg N, Holstein DM, Enochs IC (2022) Reef sediments can act as a stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) vector. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:815698 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.815698 PDF
  12. Kolodziej G, Studivan MS, Gleason ACR, Langdon C, Enochs IC, Manzello DP (2021) Impacts of stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) on coral community structure at an inshore patch reef of the upper Florida Keys using photomosaics. Frontiers in Marine Science 8:682163 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.682163 PDF
  13. Combs IR, Studivan MS, Eckert RJ, Voss JD (2021) Quantifying impacts of stony coral tissue loss disease on corals in Southeast Florida through surveys and 3D photogrammetry. PLOS ONE 16(6): e0252593 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0252593 PDF
  14. Studivan MS, Shatters A, Dodge DL, Beal JL, Voss JD (2021) Synergistic effects of thermal stress and estuarine discharge on transcriptomic variation of Montastraea cavernosa corals in southeast Florida. ​Frontiers in Marine Science 8:662220 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2021.662220 PDF
  15. Studivan MS, Voss JD (2020) Transcriptomic plasticity of mesophotic corals among natural populations and transplants of Montastraea cavernosa in the Gulf of Mexico and Belize. ​Molecular Ecology 29:2399–2415 doi: 10.1111/mec.15495 PDF​
  16. Dodge DL, Studivan MS, Eckert RJ, Chei E, Beal J, Voss JD (2020) Population structure of the scleractinian coral Montastraea cavernosa in southeast Florida. Bulletin of Marine Science 96:767–782 doi: 10.5343/bms.2019.0074 PDF​
  17. Eckert RJ, Reaume AM, Sturm AB, Studivan MS, Voss JD (2020) Depth influences Symbiodiniaceae associations among Montastraea cavernosa corals on the Belize Barrier Reef. Frontiers in Microbiology 11:518 doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2020.00518 PDF
  18. Eckert RJ, Studivan MS, Voss JD (2019) Populations of the coral species Montastraea cavernosa on the Belize Barrier Reef lack vertical connectivity. ​Scientific Reports ​9:7200 doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-43479-x PDF
  19. Studivan MS, Milstein G, Voss JD (2019) Montastraea cavernosa corallite structure demonstrates distinct morphotypes across shallow and mesophotic depth zones in the Gulf of Mexico. ​PLOS ONE 14:e0203732 doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203732 PDF
  20. Reed JK, González-Díaz P, Busutil L, Farrington S, Martínez-Daranas B, Cobián Rojas D, Voss JD, Diaz C, David A, Hanisak MD, González Mendez J, García Rodríguez A, González- Sánchez P, Viamontes Fernández J, Estrada Pérez D, Studivan MS, Drummond F, Jiang M, Pomponi SA (2018) Cuba’s mesophotic coral reefs and associated fish communities. Revista de Investigaciones Marinas 38:56–125 PDF
  21. Studivan MS, Voss JD (2018) Population connectivity among shallow and mesophotic Montastraea cavernosa corals in the Gulf of Mexico identifies potential for population refugia. Coral Reefs 37:1183–1196 doi: 10.1007/s00338-018-1733-7 PDF
  22. Studivan MS (2018) Genetic connectivity and phenotypic plasticity of shallow and mesophotic coral ecosystems in the Gulf of Mexico. PhD dissertation, Florida Atlantic University. 257 pp. PDF
  23. Garavelli L, Studivan MS, Voss JD, Kuba A, Figueiredo J, Chérubin L (2018) Assessment of mesophotic coral ecosystem connectivity for proposed expansion of a marine sanctuary in the northwest Gulf of Mexico: larval dynamics. Frontiers in Marine Science 5:174 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00174 PDF
  24. Studivan MS, Voss JD (2018) Assessment of mesophotic coral ecosystem connectivity for proposed expansion of a marine sanctuary in the northwest Gulf of Mexico: population genetics. Frontiers in Marine Science 5:152 doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00152 PDF​
  25. ​​Studivan MS, Hatch WI, Mitchelmore CL (2015) Responses of the soft coral Xenia elongata following acute exposure to a chemical dispersant. SpringerPlus 4:80 doi: 10.1186/s40064-015-0844-7 PDF
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