Tracey Sutton, 2002 Postdoctoral Scholar

Tracey's primary research has been on the ecology and community structure of the bathypelagic fish assemblage of the Gulf of Mexico, with material collected using opening/closing midwater trawls. So far, three new fish species and 18 new records for the Western North Atlantic have been derived from this study. He has also participated in cruises with the National Systematics Laboratory/ Northeast Fisheries Science Center surveying Georges Bank and surrounding deep waters. Another new fish species was discovered, which he is describing with Karsten Hartel, of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard. He also has continuing work looking at the role of zooplankton in the dynamics of red tides on the West Florida Shelf (ECOHAB: Florida). While supported by the Ocean Life Institute, Tracey authored an encyclopedia chapter on deep-sea dragonfishes, an identification guide for deep-sea swallowers, and has two zooplankton papers in press.

His future work, initiated during his OLI tenure, will involve the ecology and processes affecting the mobile macrofauna communities along the northern Mid-Atlantic Ridge, specifically the trophic interrelationships and food web patterns of these communities.