Current Research

For my postdoctoral research I am investigating how species' physiologies change under global change stressors (e.g., ocean acidification) and testing anticipatory management strategies that could be used to 'future-proof' populations of critical marine species.

Abalone Aquaculture In A Changing Climate

Collaborators: K. Kroeker (UCSC), B. Walker (UCSC), D. Swezey (BML), and The Cultured Abalone Farm

Aquaculture produces approximately half of the global seafood trade and is vital for the food security of millions worldwide, due to an ever-increasing need for further production and viability. However, aquaculture is also threatened by accelerating changes in ocean temperature and chemistry caused by climate change. To address this issue, we are researching elements of red abalone performance and parental investment that must be better understood to build shellfish aquaculture systems that are anticipatory and more robust against future global change.

We are evaluating three factors that may increase parental investments producing more climate-resilient offspring under increasing ocean acidification: (1) Alterations in parental nutritional efficacy, (2) The use of food resources to buffer parents from acidification impacts, and (3) Prior parental exposure to acidification. I am also assessing whether transgenerational plasticity (i.e., whether the environmental conditions experienced by parents positively or negatively influences the phenotype of their offspring) is a viable adaptive mechanism to influence offspring quality, size, calcification, and respiration performance. Check back for findings here!

Ph.D. Research

For my Ph.D. research in Dr. Cascade Sorte's lab at UC Irvine, I investigated how individual physiological responses influence higher-level system processes in order to anticipate ecosystem vulnerability to climate change.

Local-scale Thermal History Influences Metabolic Response of Marine Invertebrates to Warming

Collaborators: C.J.B. Sorte (UCI)

As climate change continues to accelerate, there remains a critical need to understand how vulnerable species are to warming. We quantified metabolic rates for three marine intertidal invertebrates (mussels, snails, and hermit crabs), and evaluated their relationships to fine-scale temperature data across space (tide pools) and time (3 seasons). Check out findings here:

Rangel R. E., and Sorte, C. J. B. 2022. Local-scale thermal history influences metabolic response of marine invertebrates to warming. Marine Biology, 169,126. Link

Impacts of Climate Warming and Ocean Acidification on the Metabolism and Shell Structure of a Critical Habitat-Forming Shellfish

Collaborators: K.J. Kroeker (UCSC), M.E.S. Bracken (UCI), L.P. Miller (SDSU), & C.J.B. Sorte (UCI)

Understanding the impacts of warming and ocean acidification is particularly important for both ecologically critical and commercially valuable calcifying species, such as shellfish. In this project, we examine the combined effects of climate warming and ocean acidification on the metabolism and shell structure, construction, and functional properties of the Pacific blue mussel (Mytilus trossulus).

Characterizing Marine Community Calcification Under Ocean Acidification and Warming

Collaborators: K.J. Kroeker (UCSC), M.E.S. Bracken (UCI), L.P. Miller (SDSU), & C.J.B. Sorte (UCI)

Net Ecosystem Calcification (NEC) can be driven by a range of mechanisms and key biological drivers. Studying NEC in natural systems is valuable to monitoring ecosystem health and whether certain ecosystems will be more sensitive to future climate change. In this project, we evaluate how simluated ocean warming and acidification affect NEC and the mechanisms that are driving impacts on NEC within the coastal intertidal ecosystem.

Other Research

Here are some highlights from past research projects and additional projects I have collaborated on alongside my dissertation research.

Effects of Temperature on the Metabolic Rates of Two Sedentary Fishes

Collaborators: D.W. Johnson (CSULB)

We examined how increasing temperature impacted the metabolic rates of two sedentary species, the bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli) and the woolly sculpin (Clinocottus analis). Check out the findings here:

Rangel, R. E., and Johnson, D. W. 2019. Variation in metabolic rate and a test of differential sensitivity to temperature in populations of woolly sculpin (Clinocottus analis). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 511(19): 68-74. PDF
Rangel, R. E., and Johnson, D. W. 2018. Metabolic responses to temperature in a sedentary reef fish, the bluebanded goby (Lythrypnus dalli). Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 501(18): 83-89. PDF

Assortative Mating and Sneaking Behavior in Threespine Stickleback

Collaborators: D.I. Bolnick (UCONN) & T.I. Ingram (U of Otago - NZ)

We surveyed 16 natural lake populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus acleatus) on Vancouver Island, British Columbia to measure assortative mating based on diet and determine rates of alloparental care by male stickleback. Check out findings here:

Rangel, R. E., Ingram, T. I., Bolnick., D. I. 2023. Rates of Alloparental Care by Male Stickleback in Natural Lake Populations. Ichthyology & Herpetology, 111(3): 368-375.

Ingram, T.I., Jiang Y., Rangel, R., and Bolnick, D. I. 2015. Positive but weak assortative mating by diet in lacustrine stickleback populations. Ecology and Evolution, 5(16): 3352-3363. PDF

Photo by Thor Veen

Present or Absent: Host-Parasite Relationships in Marine Snails Under Changing Climate Conditions

Collaborators: C.J.B. Sorte (UCI)

The ecological consequences of increasing temperature on host-parasite relationships in marine environments remain unknown. In this project, we aimed to create an ecological understanding of the effect of temperature on host-parasite interactions, including across sites within and outside of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) on Santa Catalina Island, CA.