Alex Bijak

Postdoctoral Research Associate

Email: [[v|abijak]]
Office: Andrews Hall 324
Section: Coastal & Ocean Processes
Research Interests: seagrass ecology, biodiversity-ecosystem functioning, carbon cycling

Education

Ph.D., University of Florida, 2024
M.S., University of Virginia, 2016
B.A., University of Virginia, 2012

About

I am working with Chris Patrick on seagrass-bivalve interactions and their effects on ecosystem functions, including carbon storage and inorganic carbon cycling. For this project, we are using field experiments to capture how seagrasses and bivalves affect each other's growth and condition, and how together these organisms influence sediment carbon stocks and water column carbonate chemistry. This work will provide insight into the effects of seagrass-bivalve interactions on coastal carbon cycling as the practice of seagrass-bivalve co-restoration expands. I am broadly interested in how biodiversity promotes ecosystem functioning in natural systems, and my research questions are motivated by both ecological theory and current challenges in ecosystem management and environmental policy. For my dissertation, I studied how seagrass species diversity affects meadow stability (or constancy in seagrass cover over time) and how both diversity and stability affect carbon cycling in seagrass meadows. I leveraged long-term datasets, field surveys, and laboratory experiments to understand the role of species diversity in meadow persistence and recovery following disturbance, how variability in seagrass cover over time affects carbon storage, and the effects of seagrass species identity and traits on greenhouse gas fluxes.