Oregon State University

At Oregon State University, the research of Bruce Menge and Jane Lubchenco and their group has been supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation since 1992. With this support, research projects were carried out in the 1990’s that helped form the empirical and conceptual framework that ultimately led to the formation of the PISCO consortium in 1999. The completed research of 11 PhD students, one MS student, and nine postdoctoral fellows has been supported through these funds, and currently supports the activities of six additional graduate students and one postdoctoral fellow. In addition to studies of how species interactions vary with oceanographic subsidies (Bruce Menge and Jane Lubchenco), ongoing research activities include inter-hemispheric (Oregon and New Zealand) studies of grazer impacts on algal diversity (Anne Guerry), the functional role of algal biodiversity (Roly Russell), reproductive output and reproductive physiology of mussels (Laura Petes), growth responses of mussels to different components of the particulates in coastal waters (Matt Bracken), nutrient and phytoplankton dynamics (Francis Chan, Jen Britt), and stable isotope studies of variation in food web structure (Francis Chan). See the Menge-Lubchenco website for more details (http://lucile.science.oregonstate.edu).