Professional

• Assistant Professor of Marine Science, VIMS / College of W&M
• Affiliate Assistant Professor, Florida Atlantic University
• Adjunct Scientist, Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University
• Affiliate Scientist, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institution
• Adjunct Scientist, Ocean Research and Conservation Association (ORCA)
• Steering Committee Member, Census of Marine Zooplankton

Education

• B.S., University of South Florida, Tampa
• Ph.D., University of South Florida, College of Marine Science, St. Petersburg
• Postdoctoral Scholar, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution

Research Interests

Our lab studies various aspects of marine ecology, spanning multiple trophic levels. We are particularly interested in biodiversity, community structure, and trophic interactions in the marine environment.

 

Our lab also specializes in the study of the deep sea, particularly the fishes and invertebrates of the mesopelagic (200-1000 m depth) and bathypelagic (1000-4000 m) zones. We use a variety of sampling methods (e.g., midwater nets, submersibles, ROVs) to gain an understanding of the diversity and community structure of Earth's least known ecosystems. We are particularly interested in the development and application of multiple techniques (microscopical, genetic, and biochemical) to understand the trophic interactions in the deep sea, and how these interactions shape community structure in the open ocean "midwaters," which are by far Earth's largest and oldest ecosystems (approximately 92% of the world ocean volume).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second major research focus in our lab involves multidisciplinary study of phytoplankton and zooplankton dynamics. Plankton represent the base of marine food webs, upon which higher trophic levels depend. Understanding the spatial distribution of plankton, variability (i.e., patchiness), and biophysical coupling is essential to understanding marine ecosystem dynamics. In addition to their importance as food, the action of zooplankton grazing on phytoplankton production also affects the fate of carbon in the oceans, and thus the atmosphere, with ramifications for global climate change.

Current Research Projects

• Community and trophic structure of the pelagic nekton associated with the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This research is part of the international Census of Marine Life project MAR-ECO, run by the Norwegian Institute of Marine Research. I am co-Principal Investigator of the Pelagic Nekton component (with Dr. Uwe Piatkowski, IFM-GEOMAR, Kiel, Germany). We currently coordinate 43 research projects as part of this research. Taxonomic and community analyses are ongoing in conjunction with the Bergen Museum, Norway. I lead a multi-national team investigating the food web structure over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (Iceland to the Azores), using traditional, genetic (DNA fingerprinting), and biochemical (stable isotope analysis) methods to elucidate poorly known trophic interactions. Particular emphasis is placed on the importance of gelatinous zooplankton as energy vectors in the deep ocean interior. I am also working closely on a large-scale hydroacoustics survey of the northern MAR (with Drs. John Horne and Cairstiona Anderson, Univ. Washington). Our research is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (Biological Oceanography, OCE-0623551), as well as grants from the Census of Marine Life and the NOAA Ocean Exploration program.
•  Bathypelagic fish biodiversity in the deep Atlantic Ocean. Our lab is involved in a number of projects aimed at exploration of the pelagic fish fauna found at or below 1000 m. Current field projects include: 1) Sargasso Sea and Eastern Atlantic sampling in collaboration with the Census of Marine Zooplankton project ("CMarZ" with Drs. Ann Bucklin, Univ. Conn.; Peter Wiebe and Larry Madin, Woods Hole Oceanographic Inst.; Sigrid Schiel, AWI Bremerhaven); 2) the Reykjanes Ridge (with Dr. Thorsteinn Sigurdsson, Mar. Res. Inst., Iceland); Bear Seamount (with Dr. Michael Vecchione, Smithson. Inst./VIMS), and 4) the eastern Gulf of Mexico (with Drs. Tom Hopkins and Scott Burghart, Univ. South Florida College of Marine Science).
•  Taxonomy and molecular systematics of deep-sea fish and zooplankton. As the least known vertebrates on Earth, many deep-sea fish groups are in dire need of taxonomic and systematic revision. We have several current projects in this vein, including revision of the 'bigscale fishes' (Melamphaidae), 'the deep-sea smelts' (family Bathylagidae, with Ofer Gon, South Africa), and the dragonfishes (family Stomiidae). We also participate in CMarZ cruises, where we identify deep-sea fishes for on-board DNA sequencing.

Dragonfish, Eustomias jimcraddocki, Sutton and Hartel 2004

Recent Publications

• Anderson, C. I. H., J. H. Horne and T. T. Sutton (in review) Characterizing the spatial distribution of bathypelagic nekton along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 
• Bucklin, A., Ortman, B. D., Jennings, R. M., Nigro, L. M., Sweetman, C. J., Copley, N. J., Sutton, T. T., and Wiebe, P. H. (in press) A "Rosetta Stone" for metazoan zooplankton: DNA barcode analysis of species diversity of the Sargasso Sea (Northwest Atlantic Ocean). Deep-Sea Research II.
• Sutton, T. T., F. M. Porteiro, C. I. H. Anderson, J. Horne, I. Byrkjedal, M. Heino, T. Falkenhaug, O. R. Godø, and O. A. Bergstad (in press) Deep-pelagic fish interactions with seamounts and mid-ocean ridges. In:  Sato, K, (ed.) Proceedings of an International Sympsium, Into the Unknown, Researching Mysterious Deep-Sea Animals. Feb. 23-24, 2007, Okinawa, Japan. Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan.
• Sutton, T. T., Wiebe, P. H., Madin, L. P., and Bucklin, A. (in press) Diversity and community structure of pelagic fishes to 5000 m depth in the Sargasso Sea. Deep-Sea Research II.
• Heino, M, F. M. Porteiro, T. T. Sutton, T. Falkenhaug, O. R. Godø, and U. Piatkowski (2010) Catchability of pelagic trawls for sampling deep-living nekton in the mid-North Atlantic. ICES Journal of Marine Science doi: 10.1093/icesjms/fsq089
• Putland, J., L. Edmiston, and T. T. Sutton (2010) Identification of critical estuarine nursery habitat for planktonic larval fishes through examination of zooplankton distribution. Florida Scientist.
• Hoffman, J. C. and T. T. Sutton (2010) Lipid-correction for stable isotope analyses of deep-sea fishes. Deep-Sea Research I 57: 956-964.
• Romine, J. G., K. T. Parsons, D. Grubbs, J. A. Musick and T. T. Sutton (2010) Standardized catch rates of sandbar sharks and dusky sharks in the VIMS longline survey: 1975-2009. SEDAR21-DW-18.
• Wiebe, P. H., Bucklin, A., Madin, L. P., Angel, M. V., Sutton, T. T., Pagés, Hopcroft, R. R. and D. Lindsay (in press) Deep-sea holozooplankton species diversity in the Sargasso Sea, Northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Deep-Sea Research II.
• Klimpel, S., M. W. Busch, T. T. Sutton, and H. W. Palm (2010) Meso- and bathypelagic fish parasites at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR): low host specificity and restricted parasite diversity. Deep-Sea Research I 57: 596-603. 
• Johnson, G. D., J. R. Paxton, T. T. Sutton, T. P. Sato, T. Sado, M. Nishida, and M. Miya (2009) Deep-sea mystery solved: Astonishing larval transformations and extreme sexual dimorphism unite three fish families. Biology Letters. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0722
• Bartow, K. A. and T. T. Sutton (2008) Ecology of the midwater fish family Melamphaidae over the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. ICES CM 2008/C:17: 1-10.
• Busch, M., S. Klempel, T. T. Sutton, and U. Piatkowski (in press) Parasites of the deep-sea smelt Bathylagus euryops (Microstomatidae, Argentinidae) from the Charlie-Gibbs Fracture Zone (CGFZ). Marine Biology Research.
• Hartel, K.E., C.P. Kenaley, J.K. Galbraith and T.T. Sutton (in press) Additional records of deep-sea fishes off greater New England. Northeast Naturalist.
• Heino, M., D. S. Boukal, T. Falkenhaug, U. Piatkowski, F. M. Porteiro and T. T Sutton (2008) Length structure of deep-pelagic fish sheds new light on their life histories. ICES CM 2008/C:14: 1-6.
• Heino, M., D. S. Boukal, T. falkenhaug, U. Piatkowski, F. M. Porteiro and T. T. Sutton (2008) Size structure, age-size dynamics and life history variation. ICES CM 2008/F13: 1-7.
• Lester, K. M., C. Heil, M. B. Neely, D. Spence, S. Murasko, S. Milroy, T. Hopkins, T. T. Sutton, S. Burgart, R. Bohrer, A. Remsen, G. Vargo, and J. Walsh (2008) Zooplankton and Karenia brevis in the Gulf of Mexico. Continental Shelf Research 29(1): 99-111.
• Suntsov, A.V., E.A. Widder and T.T. Sutton, (2008) Chapter 3: Bioluminescence in Larval Fishes. In: R.N. Finn (ed.), Fish Larval Physiology. University of Bergen Press. pp. 51-88.
• Sutton, T.T., F.M. Porteiro, M. Heino, I. Byrkjedal, G. Langhelle, C.I.H. Anderson, J. Horne, H. Søiland, T. Falkenhaug, O.R. Godø, and O.A. Bergstad (2008) Vertical structure, biomass and topographic association of deep-pelagic fishes in relation to a mid-ocean ridge system. Deep-Sea Research II 55 (2008): 161-184.
• Porteiro, F.M. and T.T. Sutton (2007). Chapter 6: Midwater fish assemblages and seamounts..Pp. 101-116. In: T.J. Pitcher, T. Morato, P.J.B. Hart, M.R. Clark, N. Haggan and R.S. Santos (eds), Seamounts: Ecology, Conservation and Management. Fish and Aquatic Resources Series, Blackwell, Oxford, UK.
• Donnelly, J., T.T. Sutton and J.J. Torres (2006) Distribution and abundance of micronekton and macrozooplankton in the NW Weddell Sea: relation to a spring ice-edge bloom. Polar Biology 29: 280-293.
• Sutton, T.T. (2005) Trophic ecology of the deep-sea fish Malacosteus niger (Pisces: Stomiidae): an enigmatic feeding ecology to facilitate a unique visual system? Deep-Sea Research I 52: 2065-2076.
• Donnelly, J., J.J. Torres, T.T. Sutton, and C. Simoniello (2004) Fishes of the eastern Ross Sea, Antarctica. Polar Biology 27: 637-650.
• Sutton, T.T. and K. E. Hartel (2004) A new species of Eustomias (Teleostei: Stomiidae) from the Western North Atlantic, with a review of the subgenus Neostomias. Copeia 2004(1): 116-121.

Students and Postdocs

Current Students Advised

• Kyle Bartow (Ph.D.) Florida Atlantic University
• Vanda Carmo (Ph.D.) University of the Azores; co-advised with Gui Menezes and Odd Aksel Bergstad
• April Cook (M.S.) VIMS

Former Students

• Charles Cotton (Ph.D., 2010) VIMS; co-advised with John Musick
• Jennifer Feagens (M.S., 2008) Florida Atlantic University
• Megan Geidner (M.S., 2008) Florida Atlantic University

Postdoctoral Advisor

• Jennifer Putland, Ph.D. (2006-2007) Florida State University
• Andrey V. Sunstov, Ph. D. (2004-2005) Shirshov Insitute of Oceanology, Moscow

VIMS Intern Advisor

• Teresa Campbell (2009) Mount Holyoak College

Teaching

Courses at the School of Marine Science / Virginia Institute of Marine Science

• Ecology of Fishes (MSCI 672: Sutton) 3 credit lecture. The course is interdisciplinary, including such topics as: physical oceanography; biophysical coupling; phyto- and zooplankton dynamics; cladistics; vertebrate evolution; fish taxonomy, systematics, and phylogenetics; theoretical and applied (fisheries) ecology, with emphasis on marine animals; biodiversity; community (uni- and multivariate) analysis; experimental design; and technical writing (synthetic essay final).
• Deep-Sea Biology (MSCI 663: Vecchione). Lecturer: "Deep-Sea Fishes," focusing on diversity, adaptations, and biogeography.
• Mechanistic Approach to Plankton Ecology (MSCI 698-02: Tang). Discussion Leader: "Structure and Function of Pelagic Food Webs."
• Ecology of Fishes (Undergraduate, William & Mary main campus). Have agreed to teach this course as part of W&M minor in Marine Science.

Professional Memberships and Affiliations

• American Elasmobranch Society
• American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
• American Society of Limnologists and Oceanographers
• Marine Technology Society
• The Oceanography Society
• Research Associate, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institution (MBARI)