Mary McElroy

Mary McElroy
IGPMS PhD student

Office: MSI 1208
Email: mcelroy@ucsb.edu
Web: Website
GS: Google Scholar
RG: ResearchGate

 

 

Mary’s research applies molecular tools like environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling and high-throughput sequencing to assess diversity of fish and macroinvertebrate taxa in ecologically and economically important coastal habitats like seagrass beds, kelp forests, and the rocky intertidal. Her work explores how eDNA-based approaches can contribute to existing aquatic biodiversity monitoring, as well as how they may be adapted to track marine species range shifts under climate change. Mary is also dedicated to science education and outreach, particularly for girls and underserved students. Previously, her research involved terrestrial species barcoding in the Amazon rainforest, culture experiments on micronutrient acquisition in marine diatoms, oceanographic fieldwork on carbon cycling and food web dynamics in Antarctica, and seafloor mapping and sediment core analysis in Long Island Sound.