Coastal alterations such as the construction of seawalls have cumulative effects on ecologically and commercially valuable marine animal species. My project used unmanned aerial vehicles (i.e drones) to create digital 3D rocky shore reconstructions to study species-habitat associations with previously unavailable components of shore complexity and contrasted against the traditional rugosity index.

Metopograpsus frontalis is an abundant and common mangrove crab of the Indo-Pacific. My research documented the metabolic demands and dietary preferences (algae vs oysters) of these crabs. I studied the ecological impact the crabs' oyster consumption has on estuarine food webs. I found that the crabs' diet is algae-based and oyster consumption in an opportunistic behaviour with low impact on food webs.