Positions

Overview

  • 1982: BS, summa cum laude, in Biology, College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis/St. Paul. 1988: Ph.D. in Marine Biology, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. 1988-90: Killam Memorial Postdoctoral Scholarship, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada. In residence at the Friday Harbor Laboratories, University of Washington 1990-91: Postdoctoral Fellowship in Ocean Science and Engineering, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, Massachusetts 1991-present: Professor, Biology and Marine Biology, UNC Wilmington
  • Selected Publications

    Academic Article

    Year Title Altmetric
    2021-12-01 Unusual morphotypes of the giant barrel sponge off the coast of Barbados.Diversity.  13:663. 2021-12-01
    2021-05-01 Sponges With Microbial Symbionts Transform Dissolved Organic Matter and Take Up OrganohalidesFrontiers in Marine Science2021-05-01
    2021-03-01 Molecular detection and microbiome differentiation of two cryptic lineages of giant barrel sponges from Conch Reef, Florida Keys.Coral Reefs.  40:853-865. 2021-03-01
    2021-01-01 Naturally occurring organobromide compounds (OBCs) including polybrominated dibenzo-p-dioxins in the marine sponge Hyrtios proteus from The Bahamas.Marine Pollution Bulletin.  172. 2021-01-01
    2021-01-01 Sponges with microbial symbionts transform dissolved organic matter and take up organohalides.Frontiers in Marine Science2021-01-01
    2020-01-01 Dining on DOM: Stimulus for the origin of metazoan life?Preprints2020-01-01
    2020-01-01 New tricks with an old sponge: Feature-based molecular networking led to fast identification of new stylissamide L from Stylissa caribica.Marine Drugs.  18:443. 2020-01-01
    2020-01-01 The emerging ecological and biogeochemical importance of sponges on coral reefs.Annual Review of Marine Science.  12:315-337.. 2020-01-01
    2019-01-01 A review of the sponge increase hypothesis for Caribbean mesophotic reefs.Marine Biodiversity.  49:1073-1083.. 2019-01-01
    2019-01-01 Feeding and respiration by giant barrel sponges across a gradient of food abundance in the Red Sea. Limnology and Oceanography.  1790-1801. 2019-01-01
    2019-01-01 Growth estimates of Caribbean reef sponges on a shipwreck using 3D photogrammetry. Scientific Reports.  9:19398.. 2019-01-01
    2019-01-01 Patterns of benthic cover with depth on Caribbean mesophotic reefs.Coral Reefs.  38:961-972.. 2019-01-01
    2019-01-01 Sponge density increases with depth throughout the Caribbean: Comment.Ecosphere.  10:e.02689. 2019-01-01
    2019-01-01 Testing the relationship between microbiome composition and flux of carbon and nutrients in Caribbean coral reef sponges. Microbiome.  7:124. 2019-01-01
    2018-01-01 A review of bottom-up vs. top-down control of sponges on Caribbean fore-reefs: What's old, what's new, and future directions.. PeerJ.  6:e4343. 2018-01-01
    2018-01-01 A test of the sponge-loop hypothesis for emergent Caribbean reef sponges.Marine Ecology Progress Series.  588:1-14.. 2018-01-01
    2018-01-01 Agelas wasting syndrome alters prokaryotic symbiont communities of the Caribbean brown tube sponge, Agelas tubulata. Microbial Ecology.  76:459-466.. 2018-01-01
    2018-01-01 Evidence for shifting genetic structure among Caribbean giant barrel sponges in the Florida Keys.Marine Biology.  165:106. 2018-01-01
    2018-01-01 Isolation of smenopyrone, a bis-ɣ-pyrone polypropionate from the Caribbean sponge Smenospongia aurea. Marine Drugs.  16:285. 2018-01-01
    2017-02-01 Latitudinal variation in the microbiome of the sponge Ircinia campana correlates with host haplotype but not anti-predatory chemical defense.Marine Ecology Progress Series.  565:53-66. 2017-02-01
    2017-01-01 Application of diet theory reveals context-dependent foraging preferences in an herbivorous coral reef fish.Oecologia2017-01-01
    2017-01-01 Demography alters carbon flux for a dominant benthic suspension feeder.Functional Ecology2017-01-01
    2017-01-01 Latitudinal variation in the microbiome of the sponge Ircinia campana correlates with host haplotype but not anti-predatory chemical defense.Marine Ecology Progress Series.  565:53-66.. 2017-01-01
    2017-01-01 Nutrient fluxes and ecological functions of coral reef sponges in a changing ocean.Springer.  Chapter 8:373-410,. 2017-01-01
    2017-01-01 Zeamide, a glycosylinositol phosphorylceramide with a novel core Arap(1β→6)Ins motif from the marine sponge Svenzea zeai.Molecules.  22::1455-1465. 2017-01-01
    2016-01-01 A vicious circle? Altered carbon and nutrient cycling may explain the low resilience of Caribbean coral reefs.BioScience2016-01-01
    2016-01-01 A vicious circle? Altered carbon and nutrient cycling may explain the low resilience of Caribbean coral reefs.BioScience.  66:470-476. 2016-01-01
    2016-01-01 Biogeographical homogeneity of Caribbean coral reef benthos.Journal of Biogeography2016-01-01
    2016-01-01 Chlorinated thiazole-containing polyketide-peptides from the Caribbean sponge Smenospongia conulosa: Structure elucidation on microgram scale. European Journal of Organic Chemistry.  , 2016:2871-2875. 2016-01-01
    2016-01-01 Defense by association: Sponge-eating fishes alter the small scale distribution of Caribbean reef sponges.Marine Ecology2016-01-01
    2016-01-01 No accounting for taste: Palatability of variably defended Caribbean sponge species is unrelated to predator abundance.Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.  485:57-64.. 2016-01-01
    2016-01-01 Selective feeding by the giant barrel sponge enhances foraging efficiency.Limnology and Oceanography2016-01-01
    2016-01-01 Selective feeding by the giant barrel sponge enhances foraging efficiency. Limnology and Oceanography.  61:1271-1286. 2016-01-01
    2015-05-01 No evidence for food limitation of Caribbean reef sponges: Reply to Slattery & Lesser (2015)Marine Ecology Progress Series.  527. 2015-05-01
    2015-04-01 Indirect effects of overfishing on Caribbean reefs: sponges overgrow reef-building corals.PeerJ.  3:e901. 2015-04-01
    2015-01-01 A fish-feeding laboratory bioassay to assess the antipredatory activity of secondary metabolites from the tissues of marine organisms.Journal of Visualized Experiments.  95. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 A review of evidence for food-limitation of sponges on Caribbean reefsMarine Ecology Progress Series.  519:265-283. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 A review of evidence for food-limitation of sponges on Caribbean reefs.Marine Ecology Progress Series.  519:265-283.. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Cowries graze verongid sponges on Caribbean reefsCoral Reefs2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Cowries graze verongid sponges on Caribbean reefs.Coral Reefs.  34:663.. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Indirect effects of overfishing on Caribbean reefs: sponges overgrow reef-building corals. PeerJ.  3. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Metabolite variability in Caribbean sponges of the genus Aplysina.Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy.  25:592-599. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Metabolite variability in Caribbean sponges of the genus Aplysina.Brazilian Journal of Pharmacognosy.  25:592-599.. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 No evidence for food limitation of Caribbean reef sponges: Reply to Slattery & Lesser (2015).Marine Ecology Progress Series.  , 527:281-284.. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Overfishing aids sponges, hurts corals on Caribbean reefs.AlertDiver.  31:22-23. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Overfishing aids sponges, hurts corals on Caribbean reefs.Alert Diver.  31:22-23.. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Perilous proximity: Does the Janzen-Connell hypothesis explain the distribution of giant barrel sponges on a Florida coral reef?Coral Reefs.  34:561-567.. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Population dynamics of giant barrel sponges on Florida coral reefsJournal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.  473:73-80. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 Population dynamics of giant barrel sponges on Florida coral reefs.Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.  473:73-80. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 The sponge guide: Interactive photographic online guide to the identification of Caribbean sponges.Reef Encounter.  30:25-28.. 2015-01-01
    2014-10-01 New epizooic symbioses between sponges of the genera Plakortis and Xestospongia in cryptic habitats of the Caribbean.Marine Biology.  161:2803-2818. 2014-10-01
    2014-10-01 Perilous proximity: Does the Janzen-Connell hypothesis explain the distribution of giant barrel sponges on a Florida coral reef?Coral Reefs2014-10-01
    2014-10-01 The effects of size and morphology on pumping rates of Caribbean giant barrel spongesAquatic Biology.  23:1-13. 2014-10-01
    2014-03-01 Chemical defenses and resource trade-offs structure sponge communities on Caribbean coral reefs.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.  111:4151-4156. 2014-03-01
    2014-03-01 Cleaning mutualist or parasite? Classifying the association between the brittlestar Ophiothrix lineata and the Caribbean reef sponge Callyspongia vaginalis.Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.  454:42-58. 2014-03-01
    2014-01-01 Chemical defenses and resource trade-offs structure sponge communities on Caribbean coral reefs.Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.  111:4151-4156.. 2014-01-01
    2014-01-01 Cleaning mutualist or parasite? Classifying the association between the brittlestar Ophiothrix lineata and the Caribbean reef sponge Callyspongia vaginalis.Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.  454:42-58.. 2014-01-01
    2014-01-01 New epizooic symbioses between sponges of the genera Plakortis and Xestospongia in cryptic habitats of the Caribbean.Marine Biology.  161:2803-2818. 2014-01-01
    2014-01-01 The HMA-LMA dichotomy revisited: an electron microscopical survey of 56 sponge species.Biological Bulletin.  , 227:78-88.. 2014-01-01
    2014-01-01 Trait-mediated ecosystem impacts: How morphology and size affect pumping rates of the Caribbean giant barrel sponge.Aquatic Biology.  23:: 1-13. 2014-01-01
    2013-05-01 Sponge communities on Caribbean coral reefs are structured by factors that are top-down, not bottom-up.PLOS ONE2013-05-01
    2012-06-01 A new sponge ecologyInternational Innovation.  37. 2012-06-01
    2012-01-01 Assessing the antipredatory defensive strategies of Caribbean non-scleractinian zoantharians (Cnidaria): Is the sting the only thing?Marine Biology.  159:389-398. 2012-01-01
    2012-01-01 Do coral reef fish learn to avoid unpalatable prey using visual cues?Animal Behaviour.  85:339-347. 2012-01-01
    2012-01-01 Friend or foe? No evidence that association with the sponge Mycale laevis provides a benefit to corals of the genus Montastraea.Marine Ecology Progress Series.  465:111-117. 2012-01-01
    2012-01-01 Phenotypic variability in the Caribbean Orange Icing sponge Mycale laevis (Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida).Hydrobiologia.  687:205-217. 2012-01-01
    2012-01-01 Phenotypic variability in the Caribbean orange icing sponge Mycale laevis (Demospongiae: Poecilosclerida)Hydrobiologia.  687:205-217. 2012-01-01
    2012-01-01 Specificity of larval settlement of the Caribbean Orange Icing Sponge Mycale laevis: A mutualistic response?Invertebrate Biology.  131:155-164. 2012-01-01
    2012-01-01 Sponge white patch disease affecting the Caribbean sponge Amphimedon compressa.Diseases of Aquatic Organisms.  99:95-102. 2012-01-01
    2011-01-01 Bleaching of the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta in the Florida Keys.Limnology and Oceanography.  56:2243-2250. 2011-01-01
    2011-01-01 Comparison of reproductive patterns among 7 Caribbean sponge species does not reveal a resource trade-off with chemical defensesJournal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.  401:80-84. 2011-01-01
    2011-01-01 Cyanobacterial diversity and a new Acaryochloris-like symbiont from Bahamian sea squirts.PLoS ONE.  6:e23938. 2011-01-01
    2011-01-01 Effects of Karenia brevis on clearance rates and bioaccumulation of brevetoxins in benthic suspension feeding invertebrates.Aquatic Toxicology.  106-107:85-94. 2011-01-01
    2011-01-01 Evidence of a resource trade-off between growth and chemical defenses among Caribbean coral reef sponges.Marine Ecology Progress Series.  406:71-78. 2011-01-01
    2011-01-01 Host specialization of an obligate sponge-dwelling brittlestar.Aquatic Biology.  12:37-46. 2011-01-01
    2011-01-01 The chemical ecology of sponges on Caribbean reefs: Natural products shape natural systems.BioScience.  61:888-898. 2011-01-01
    2011-01-01 The pathology of Sponge Orange Band disease affecting the Caribbean barrel sponge Xestospongia muta.FEMS Microbiology Ecology.  75:218-230. 2011-01-01
    2010-12-01 Effects of sponge bleaching on ammonia oxidizing Archaea: Distribution and relative expression of ammonia monooxygenase genes associated with the barrel sponge Xestospongia mutaMicrobial Ecology.  60:561-571. 2010-12-01
    2010-11-01 The pathology of Sponge Orange Band disease affecting the Caribbean barrel sponge Xestospongia mutaFEMS Microbial Ecology.  75:218-230. 2010-11-01
    2010-10-01 Phenotypic plasticity in the sponge Callyspongia vaginalis: morphological and molecular dataScientia Marina.  74:445-453. 2010-10-01
    2010-09-01 Fragments or propagules? Reproductive trade-offs among Callyspongia spp. from Florida coral reefs.Oikos.  119:1417-1422. 2010-09-01
    2010-05-01 Effects of sponge bleaching on ammonia oxidizing Archaea: Distribution and relative expression of ammonia monooxygenase genes associated with the barrel sponge Xestospongia muta.Microbial Ecology2010-05-01
    2010-01-01 Amaranzoles B-F, imidazole-2-carboxy steroids from the marine sponge Phorbas amaranthus. C24-N- and C24-O-analogues from a divergent oxidative biosynthesis.Journal of Organic Chemistry.  75:2453-2460. 2010-01-01
    2010-01-01 Demographics of increasing populations of the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta in the Florida KeysEcology.  91:560-570. 2010-01-01
    2010-01-01 Siphonodictyal B1 from a marine sponge increases intracellular calcium levels comparable to the Ca2+ - ATPase (SERCA) inhibitor thapsigargin.Marine Biotechnology.  12:267-272. 2010-01-01
    2009-01-01 A novel technique for the reattachment of large coral reef sponges.Restoration Ecology.  17:192-195. 2009-01-01
    2009-01-01 Amaroxocanes A and B: Sulfated dimeric sterols defend the Caribbean coral reef sponge Phorbas amaranthus from fish predators.Journal of Natural Products.  72:259-264. 2009-01-01
    2009-01-01 Bitten down to size: Fish predation determines growth form of the Caribbean coral reef sponge Mycale laevisJournal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology.  374:45-50. 2009-01-01
    2009-01-01 Genetic structure of the Caribbean giant barrel sponge Xestospongia muta using the I3-M11 partition of COICoral Reefs.  28:157-165. 2009-01-01
    2009-01-01 Presence of Aspergillus sydowii, a pathogen of gorgonian sea fans in the marine sponge Spongia obscura.ISME Journal.  3:752-755. 2009-01-01
    2009-01-01 Siphonodictyal B1 from a marine sponge increases intracellular calcium levels comparable to the Ca2+ - ATPase (SERCA) inhibitor thapsigarginMarine Biotechnology.  Online early. 2009-01-01
    2008-01-01 Bleaching and stress in coral reef ecosystems: Hsp70 expression by the giant barrel sponge Xestospongia mutaMolecular Ecology.  17:1840-1850. 2008-01-01
    2008-01-01 Patterns of sponge recruitment and growth on a shipwreck corraborate chemical defense resource trade-offMarine Ecology Progress Series.  368:137-143. 2008-01-01
    2008-01-01 Redwood of the reef: growth and age of the giant barrel sponge, Xestospongia muta in the Florida Keys.Marine Biology.  155:159-171.. 2008-01-01
    2008-01-01 The habitat function of mangroves for terrestrial and marine fauna: A review.Aquatic Botany.  89:155-185.. 2008-01-01

    Audio-visual Document

    Year Title Altmetric
    2018-01-01 “Coral reef rescue: Save the parrotfishes!” 3-minute education video Ocean180 Video Challenge. 2018-01-01
    2015-01-01 The maid did it! The surprising case of the sponge-cleaning brittle starBeneath the Waves Film Festival. 2015-01-01
    2014-01-01 Sponges of the Caribbean: What ecological factors most affect them?Beneath the Waves Film Festival. 2014-01-01
    2014-01-01 “The maid did it! The surprising case of the sponge-cleaning brittle star ” Ocean 180 Video Challenge. Ocean 180 Video Challenge.. 2014-01-01

    Chapter

    Year Title Altmetric
    2013-06-01 Marine Chemical Ecology: A Science Born of Scuba.  Smithsonian Press. 53-69. 2013-06-01
    2012-01-01 Antipredatory defensive roles of natural products from marine invertebrates..  Handbook of Marine Natural Products.. 2012-01-01

    Document

    Year Title Altmetric
    2015-01-01 Reefs of RoatanYou Tube. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 The maid did it! The surprising case of the sponge-cleaning brittle starOceans 180. 2015-01-01
    2015-01-01 The maid did it! The surprising case of the sponge-cleaning brittle starBeneath the Waves Film Festival. 2015-01-01
    2014-10-01 Sponge gardens of SabaYou Tube. 2014-10-01
    2014-10-01 The reefs of Carrie BowYou Tube. 2014-10-01
    2014-01-01 The Sponge Guide: a picture guide to Caribbean sponges.spongeguide.org. 2014-01-01

    Presentations

    Research Overview

  • The basic science component of my research program concerns the ecological role of secondary metabolites in tropical reef invertebrates, particularly sponges. We are funded by NSF to investigate the allelopathic role of sponge compounds in coral overgrowth and inter-specific trade-offs between the production of chemical defenses and sponge growth, healing, and reproduction. The applied science component concerns the demography and bleaching of giant barrel sponges, which are major components of Florida’s coral reefs. We have been funded by NOAA to continue a 10-year sponge monitoring program on reefs off Key Largo, Florida, and to investigate possible environmental factors that may be involved with sponge bleaching. I have ongoing collaborations with Chris Finelli on barrel sponge pumping rates as it relates to sponge demographics and with Carm Tomas, via grad student Mike Echevarria, on the effects of HAB algae on suspension feeding invertebrates.
  • Co-principal Investigator On

    Teaching Overview

  • BIO 318: Invertebrate Zoology
  • Full Name

  • Joseph R Pawlik