Postdoc Profile: Lela Schlenker
Lela S. SchlenkerMentor
Dr. James Morley
Education
Biology, B.A., Smith College, 2009
Fisheries Science, M.Sc., Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William & Mary, 2014
Marine Biology and Ecology, Ph.D., Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, 2019
Research Summary
Global climate change is one of the greatest challenges facing the health of our world’s oceans and sustainable fisheries management. Pamlico Sound in North Carolina straddles one of the most significant climate and biogeographic breaks in the world and is a critical region for assessing climate impacts on fisheries. White (Litopenaeus setiferus), brown (Farfantepenaeus aztecus), and pink (F. duorarum) penaeid shrimp are of enormous ecological, cultural, and economic value to North Carolina and rely on Pamlico Sound as a nursery area. My current research focuses on understanding how climate and environmental variability impact the recruitment, growth, and abundance of white, brown, and pink shrimp in Pamlico Sound. This information is critical for understanding how future environmental changes may impact North Carolina shrimp populations and will aid fisheries managers in determining climate-adaptive management strategies. As a whole, my research goals are to understand the impacts of stressors on the sensory biology, movement ecology, and physiology of marine organisms.