Christopher Wells

Wells, C.D., J. Benz, K.J. Tonra, E.R. Anderson, and H.R. Lasker. Accepted. Grazers and predators mediate the post-settlement bottleneck in Caribbean octocoral forests. Frontiers in Marine Science.

Wells, C.D., K.S. Van Volkom, S. Edquist, S. Marovelli, and J. Marovelli. 2023. Investigating the impact of introduced crabs on the distribution and morphology of littorinid snails: Implications for the survival of the snail Littorina saxatilis. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 569:151958. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2023.151958

Wells, C.D., G. Paulay, B.N. Nguyen, and M. Leray. 2022. DNA metabarcoding provides insights into the diverse diet of a dominant suspension feeder, the giant plumose anemone Metridium farcimen. Environmental DNA. 4:147-156. http://doi.org/10.1002/edn3.225

Wells, C.D., J.D. Muñoz-Maravilla, H.R. Lasker, and P.J. Edmunds. 2022. Information legacies of early ecological studies. Bulletin of Marine Science. 98:493-494. http://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2022.0023

Wells, C.D., Á. Martínez-Quintana, K.J. Tonra, and H.R. Lasker. 2021. Algal turf negatively affects recruitment of a Caribbean octocoral. Coral Reefs. 40:1045-1053. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-021-02103-z

Tonra, K.J., C.D. Wells, and H.R. Lasker. 2021. Spawning, embryogenesis, settlement, and post-settlement development of the gorgonian Plexaura homomalla. Invertebrate Biology:e12319. http://doi.org/10.1111/ivb.12319

Wells, C.D., and K.J. Tonra. 2021. Polyp bailout and reattachment of the abundant Caribbean octocoral Eunicea flexuosa. Coral Reefs. 40:27-30. http://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-020-02043-0

Pisapia, C., P.J. Edmunds, H.V. Moeller, B.M. Riegl, M. McWilliam, C.D. Wells, and M.S. Pratchett. 2020. Chapter 2: Projected shifts in coral size structure in the Anthropocene. In Advances in Marine Biology: Population dynamics of the reef crisis. Vol. 87. B.M. Riegl, editor. Academic Press. 31-60. http://doi.org/10.1016/bs.amb.2020.07.003

Wells, C.D., and L.G. Harris. 2019. Out of the blue: The failure of the introduced sea anemone Sagartia elegans (Dalyell, 1848) in Salem Harbor, Massachusetts. Biological Bulletin. 237:283-291. http://doi.org/10.1086/705515

Wells, C.D., and K.P. Sebens. 2017. Individual marking of soft-bodied subtidal invertebrates in situ – A novel staining technique applied to the giant plumose anemone Metridium farcimen (Tilesius, 1809). PLOS ONE. 12:e0188263. http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188263

Dijkstra, J.A., L.G. Harris, K. Mello, A. Litterer, C.D. Wells, and C. Ware. 2017. Invasive seaweeds transform habitat structure and increase biodiversity of associated species. Journal of Ecology. 105:1668-1678. http://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12775

“Sea anemones sometimes eat … ants. But why?” – National Geographic covered his study on the diet of the giant plumose anemone in the San Juan Islands. Using the relatively new technique of DNA metabarcoding, they were able to detect a much more diverse diet than previously described including a surprising terrestrial linkage: anemones eat ants. http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/sea-anemones-eat-ants-other-oddities

“Giant sea anemones eat ants… and also the occasional spider” – The BBC Science Focus magazine covered his study on the marine-terrestrial linkage between floating dock communities and the nearby terrestrial community, highlighting the need for more attention on nearshore marine food webs. http://www.sciencefocus.com/news/giant-sea-anemones-eat-ants-and-also-the-occasional-spider

“These cauliflowerlike anemones snack on ants” – Additional coverage by Science Adviser Newsletter on work looking at anemones and their linkage with terrestrial food webs. http://www.science.org/content/article/these-cauliflowerlike-anemones-snack-ants