John F. Valentine, Ph.D.

Bio

Dr. John Valentine serves as the Executive Director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). Prior to being named the Executive Director, he served as Chair of the Sea Lab’s University Programs. Since arriving at DISL, he has written or co-authored over 95 grant proposals for research. Support for his research has come from both federal and state agencies including the National Science Foundation, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Environmental Protection Agency, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP) and The Nature Conservancy. 

In 2015, a research team led by Dr. Valentine was awarded $6.5M to conduct studies on the role of biodiversity in determining the resiliency of the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon accident. More than 75 students, technicians, and post-doctoral students were supported by these efforts. He has been lead or second author on over 70 scientific articles in addition to serving as an academic editor for the scientific journals Marine Ecology Progress Series and PLoSOne. He has also served as a panelist for U.S. National Science Foundation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Geological Survey, and NOAA’s National Undersea Research Program. 

In addition to his national leadership in the marine sciences, he currently serves on the Executive Boards of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program, and Alabama’s Forever Wild Program. Recently, the Governor’s Water Agencies Working Group charged Dr. Valentine with assessing the impacts of future watershed withdrawal on coastal Alabama resources. Dr. Valentine is also a recent graduate of Leadership Alabama.

Research Interest

My current research interests examine the role of biotic processes, and human perturbations, in controlling the flow of energy among trophic levels both within and between marine habitats, with emphasis on submerged vegetated habitats. This research is being conducted in diverse locations ranging from the lower reaches of the Mobile Bay Delta to the Marine Protected Areas of the northern Florida Keys.

Much of the emphasis of this work is on 1) experimental assessments of grazing intensity in seagrass habitats, 2) responses of seagrasses to this grazing, and 3) the role of omnivory in controlling trophic cascades in marine systems. Newly funded work will examine 1) the degree to which marine production can subsidize the diets adult freshwater piscivorous fishes in oligohaline vegetated habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico, 2) the relative value of infaunal functional groups to demersal fish growth, also in the northern Gulf of Mexico and 3) the indirect effects of the removal of large predatory fishes on the base of seagrass food webs in the Florida Keys. Finally, one planned project will be to investigate the degree to which seagrass detritus can subsidize the productivity of macroinvertebrates in nearby unvegetated habitats.

The overall significance of this research lies in its attempt to understand the processes that control the distribution and productivity of submerged vegetated habitats throughout the western Atlantic Ocean. Because of the widespread occurrence of these habitats, the extraordinary productivity, and richness of their associated biota, an understanding of the factors controlling their distribution and the degree to which they subsidize the productivity of nearby less productive habitats is essential to our understanding of how the overall productivity of nearshore waters is determined.

Education:
Ph.D., University of Alabama, 1989

Selected Current Research Grants 

• Lead PI - Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience. Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (2015-2018). - $6,497,054
• Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and MESC/Dauphin Island Sea Lab Collaboration - $790,000.00
• National Science Foundation - "Collaborative Proposal: Gulf Coast ADVANCE:  Cross-Institutional Synergy for Women Scientist - $44,652.00

Projects

Publications

• 2020

  Valentine, J.F. and K. L. Heck, Jr. Herbivory in Seagrass Meadows: an Evolving Paradigm. Estuaries and Coasts (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00849-3

• Martin, C.W., K.A Lewis, A.M. McDonald, T.P. Spearman, S.B. Alford, R.C. Christian, and J.F. Valentine. Disturbance-driven changes to northern Gulf of Mexico nekton communities following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: evidence for the need for expanded coastal monitoring systems. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 155: 111098. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111098.

• Stapleton, C.A., D.W. Haywick, M.L. Julius, L. Novoveska, and J.F. Valentine. How anthropogenic activities impacted Polecat Bay near Mobile, Alabama, USA: a paleoecological study and forensic investigation. Environmental Forensics. doi.org/10.1080/15275922.2020.1836073.

• 2019

  Martin, C.W. and J.F. Valentine. Invasion of Eurasian Milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum Lead to a “Trophic Dead End” and Reduced Food Web Complexity in Gulf of Mexico Estuarine Food Webs? Front. Environ. Sci. doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00166

• Seubert, E.A., N.E. Hussey, S.P. Powers, J.F. Valentine, and J.M. Drymon. Assessing trophic flexibility of a predator assemblage across a large estuarine seascape using blood plasma stable isotope analysis. Food Webs. In Press.

• 2018

  Martin, C.W. and J.F. Valentine. Eurasian milfoil in Gulf of Mexico estuaries: does invasion of complex submerged vegetation lead to a “trophic dead end” in estuarine food webs? PeerJ Preprints. 6:e27454v1. doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.27454v1.

• Kauffman, T.C., C.W. Martin, and J.F. Valentine. Hydrological alteration exacerbates the negative impacts of invasive Eurasian milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum by creating hypoxic conditions in a northern Gulf of Mexico estuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 592: 97-108.

• 2016

  Bearden, B., J. Valentine, P. O'Neil, and S. Jones. Emerging Water Policy Issues in Coastal Alabama. The Wave. Volume 37. Number 3. 15-23.

  

• 2015

  Steele, L. and J. F. Valentine. Seagrass deterrence to mesograzer herbivory: evidence from mesocosm experiments and feeding preference trials. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 524:83-94

  

• 2014

  Martin, C. W. and J. F. Valentine. Tolerance of embryos and hatchlings of the invasive apple snail Pomacea maculata to estuarine conditions Aquatic Ecology. 48:321-326

• Martin, C.W. and J.F. Valentine. Sexual and asexual reproductive strategies of invasive Eurasian milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) in estuarine environments. Hydrobiologia. 727:177-184.

• 2013

  Blackmon, D. C. and J. F. Valentine. Recurring nocturnal benthic emergence along the coral reef–seagrass interface in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Evidence of a possible novel prey escape response. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 448:220 -227.

• Peterson, B. J., J. F. Valentine and K. L. Heck. The snapper–grunt pump: Habitat modification and facilitation of the associated benthic plant communities by reef-resident fish. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 441:50-54.

• Valentine, J. F., K. L. Heck, M. R. Dardeau, and H. Burch. Ecosystem-based Management of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Pp. 71 -92, In: J.W. Day and A. Yanez\-Arancibia (Eds.), Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota. Volume 4 - Ecosystem -Based Management. Texas A & M University Press, College Station, TX. 466 p.

  

• Rozas, L. P., C.W. Martin, C. W., and J.F. Valentine. Effects of reduced hydrological connectivity on the nursery use of shallow estuarine habitats within a river delta. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 492:9-20

• Shepard, A.N., J. F. Valentine, C.F. D'Elia, D.W. Yoskowitz, and D.E. Dismukes. Economic impact of Gulf of Mexico: Integrating ecosystem services values into restoration decision-making. Gulf of Mexico Science. 31:10-27.

  

• 2012

  Steele, L. and J. F. Valentine. Idiosyncratic responses of seagrass phenolic production following sea urchin grazing. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 466:81 -92.

  

• Martin, C. W. and J. F. Valentine. Eurasian milfoil invasion in estuaries: Physical disturbance can reduce the proliferation of an aquatic nuisance species. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 449:109 -119.

  

• Lemoine, N. P. and J. F. Valentine. Structurally complex habitats provided by Acropora palmata influence ecosystem processes on a reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Coral Reefs 31:779 -786.

• Puntilla, R. I., C. W. Martin and J. F. Valentine. Measuring predation with a new design of submersible chronographic timer. Bulletin of Marine Science 88:1115 -1122.

  

• 2011

  Martin, C. M. and J. F. Valentine. Impacts of a Habitat-Forming Exotic Species on Estuarine Structure and Function: An Experimental Assessment of Eurasian Milfoil. Estuaries and Coasts. 34:364 -372.

• 2010

  Martin, C. W., M. Valentine and J. F. Valentine. Competitive interactions between Invasive Nile Tilapia and Native Fish: the potential for altered trophic exchange and modification of food webs. PLoSONE. 5:1 -6.

  

• 2009

  Goecker, M., J. F. Valentine, S. S. Sklenar and G. Chaplin. Influence from hydrological modification on energy and nutrient transference in a deltaic food web. Estuaries and Coasts. 32: 173 -187.

• Chaplin, G. and J. F. Valentine. Secondary production of macroinvertebrates in the tidal influenced Mobile Bay Delta. Estuaries and Coasts 32:319 -332.

• 2008

  Valentine J. F., K. L.Heck, Jr., D. Blackmon, B. J. Peterson, M. E. Goecker, J. Christian, R. M. Kroutil, M. A. VanderKlift , K. D. Kirsch, and M. Beck. Exploited species impacts on trophic linkages along reef -seagrass interfaces in the Florida Keys. Ecological Applications 18:1501 -1515.

• 2007

  Park, K., J. F. Valentine, K. R. Weis, and M. R. Dardeau. Effects of Hurricane Ivan on Mobile Bay, Alabama. Journal of Coastal Research 23:1332 -1336.

• Heck, K. L., and J. F. Valentine. The primacy of top-down effects in shallow benthic ecosystems. Estuaries and Coasts 30:371-381.

  

• Vanderklift, M. A., J. How, T. Wernberg, L. D. MacArthur, K. L. Heck, Jr ,and J. F. Valentine. Proximity to reef influences the density of small predatory fishes while type of seagrass influences intensity of predation on crabs. Marine Ecology Progress Series 340:235 -243.

  

• Fioravanti. G. and J. F. Valentine. Impacts of reef architecture and fishing on food webs in back reef environments of the upper Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Florida Scientist 70:120 -136.

• Valentine, J. F., K. L. Heck, Jr., D. Blackmon, M. E. Goecker, J. Christian, R. M. Kroutil, K. D. Kirsch, B. J. Peterson, M. Beck and M. A. Vanderklift. Food web interactions along seagrass -coral reef boundaries: effects of piscivore reductions on cross -habitat energy exchange. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 333: 37-50.

  

• 2006

  Heck, K. L., Jr., J. F. Valentine, J. R. Pennock, G. Chaplin and P. M. Spitzer. Effects of nutrient enrichment and grazing on shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) and its epiphytes: Results of a field experiment. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 326: 145 -156.

  

• Heck, K. L., J. F. Valentine, J. R. Pennock, G. Chaplin and P. M. Spitzer. How herbivores can mediate the effects of nutrient enrichment on seagrass meadows: unexpected results of a field experiment. Marine Ecology Progress Series 326:145 -156.

• Valentine, J. F. and J. Emmett Duffy. The Central Role of Grazing in Seagrass Ecology. In: SEAGRASSES: BIOLOGY, ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION. Pp. 463 -501. Springer, Dordrecht.

• Heck, K. L. and J. F. Valentine. Plant-herbivore interactions in seagrass meadows. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330:420 -436.

• Goecker, M., J. F. Valentine and S. Sklenar. Effects of exotic submerged aquatic vegetation on waterfowl in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Gulf of Mexico Science 24:68 -80.

  

• 2005

  Valentine, J. F. and K. L. Heck, Jr. Interaction strength at the coral reef-seagrass interface: has overfishing diminished the importance of seagrass habitat production for coral reef food webs. Coral Reefs 24:209 -213.

• Valentine, J. F. and K. L. Heck, Jr. Perspective review of the impacts of overfishing on coral reef food web linkages. Coral Reefs 24 (2): 209 -213.

  

• Goecker, M. E., K. L. Heck, Jr. and J. F. Valentine. Effects of nitrogen content in turtlegrass, Thalassia testudinum, on consumption by the bucktooth parrotfish, Sparisoma radians. Marine Ecology Progress Series 286:239 -248.

  

• 2004

  Valentine, J. F., E. F. Blythe, S. Madhavan and T. D. Sherman. Effects of stimulated herbivory on nitrogen enzyme levels, assimilation and allocation in Thalassia testudinum. Aquatic Botany 79:235 -255.

• 2003

  Spitzer, P.M., K.L. Heck, Jr. and J.F. Valentine. Then and now: a comparison of patterns in blue crab post-larval abundance and post-settlement mortality during the early and late 1990s in the Mobile Bay system. Bull. Mar. Sci. 72: 435 -452.

  

• 2002

  Kirsch, K.D., J.F. Valentine, and K.L Heck, Jr. Parrotfish grazing in turtlegrass Thalassia testudinum: evidence for the importance of seagrass consumption in food web dynamics of the Florida keys national Marine Sanctuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series 227: 71 -85.

  

• 2001

  Aronson, R. B., K. L. Heck, Jr. and J. F. Valentine. Measuring predation with tethering experiments. Marine Ecology Progress Series 214: 311 -312.

  

• Valentine, J. F., K. L. Heck, Jr., K. K. Kirsch and D. Webb. The role of leaf nitrogen content in determining turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) grazing by a generalist herbivore in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 258: 65 -86.

  

• 2000

  Heck, K. L., Jr., J. R. Pennock, J. F. Valentine, L. D. Coen and S. S. Sklenar. Effects of nutrient enrichment and large predator removal on seagrass nursery habitats: an experimental assessment. Limnology and Oceanography.

  

• 1999

  Valentine, J. F. and K. L. Heck, Jr. Seagrass herbivory: evidence for the continual grazing of marine grasses. Marine Ecology Progress Series 176:291 -302.

  

• 1995

  Valentine, J.F., M. Dardeau, M. Zolkewitz and G. Crozier. An environmental assessment of the health of Mobile Bay using benthic infaunal organisms: A report to the Gulf Coast Industrial Environmental Forum. 32 p.

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