Doug Rasher, Phd

Education

B.S., Zoology, Michigan State University, 2005

Ph.D., Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2012

Research Interests

Dr. Douglas Rasher is a marine ecologist who studies the coastal realm. His research spans multiple environments ranging from tropical coral reefs to cold-water kelp forests, but his work is unified by one common aim: to reveal the causes and consequences of “state shifts” in reef ecosystems.

A state shift occurs when an ecosystem loses its habitat-forming, foundational species, such as coral or kelp. Over the past 15 years, Rasher and his colleagues have discovered that state shifts on reefs are triggered by ocean warming, the cascading effects of predator loss, or the interplay between these two processes. He and his collaborators have also revealed that state shifts reverberate to impact a variety of broader ecosystem attributes — including the recovery potential of the reef, and the production and flow of energy across food webs.

To study the drivers and impacts of state shifts, Rasher and his team employ a unique, collaborative, and interdisciplinary approach — blending large-scale field observations with cutting-edge sample analysis, mechanistic experiments, and computer models. Further, they pursue this scientific approach through the lens of species interactions, and do so across multiple spatial scales (from millimeters to kilometers) and multiple trophic levels (from microbes to apex predators).

The ultimate goal of Rasher’s work is to reveal how the loss of large consumers, and climate change, are reshaping reef ecosystems in the Anthropocene. Such knowledge can then be used to inform ecosystem management and restoration efforts, in ways that maximize the functioning of modern reefs as well as the services they provide to humanity.

Currently, Rasher’s Reef Resilience Group is composed of postdoctoral scholars, PhD students, technicians, and undergraduate interns. If you would like to collaborate or seek training with Dr. Rasher, please send him an email.