Research
My research interests sit at the interface of functional and population biology and center on three broad questions:
- How do organisms respond to environmental change?
- How much variation exists for these responses?
- How come organisms respond in the way(s) that they do?
My work is empirical, uses integrative and comparative approaches, occurs in the lab and the field, and I focus primarily on marine invertebrates and their larvae.
Educational Opportunities in the Marine Sciences
I have strong connections with a number of marine field stations and programs. I encourage students to check out opportunities available at the following institutions:
- Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences, Ferry Reach, Bermuda
- Friday Harbor Labs, University of Washington
- Sea Education Association, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
- Shoals Marine Laboratory, University of New Hampshire and Cornell University
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Republic of Panama
Please contact me if you have specific interest in the educational and/or research internship programs offered by any of these institutions, or if you're generally interested in off-campus marine education and research opportunities and would like some suggestions.
Publications
Hodin J., Heyland A, Mercier A, Pernet B, Cohen DL, Hamel J-F, Allen JD, McAlister JS, Byrne M, Cisternas P, George SB. 2019. Culturing echinoderm larvae through metamorphosis. Chapter 6 in Foltz K, Hamdoun A (eds.). Methods in Cell Biology 150 - Echinoderms. Part A: Procurement, experimental embryology and classroom approaches. Elsevier: Oxford, UK GET PDF
McAlister JS, Miner BG. 2018. Phenotypic plasticity of feeding structures in marine invertebrate larvae. In: Evolutionary Ecology of Marine Invertebrate Larvae, Eds. T. Carrier, A. Reitzel, A. Heyland. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198786962.003.0008 GET PDF
Marshall D, McAlister JS, Reitzel AM. 2018. Evolutionary ecology of parental investment and larval diversity. In: Evolutionary Ecology of Marine Invertebrate Larvae, Eds. T. Carrier, A. Reitzel, A. Heyland. Oxford University Press. DOI: 10.1093/oso/9780198786962.003.0003 GET PDF
Eliseba García, Sabrina Clemente, Catasia López, Justin S. McAlister, José Carlos Hernández. Ocean warming modulates the effects of limited food availability on Paracentrotus lividus larval development. Marine Biology (2015) 162:1463–1472. GET PDF
Teaching
- Marine Biology
- Invertebrate Biology
- Oceanography