Biography

For over 14 years, Dr. John Valentine has served as the Executive Director of Alabama’s Marine Environmental Consortium (MESC) which has its administrative home on the campus of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL). In his role as Executive Director, Dr. Valentine promotes the MESC/DISL priorities contained in the MESC’s strategic plan via statewide community engagement through presentations and interviews, growing an annual environmental awards luncheon, participating in the DISL Development Office fund raising opportunities, and lobbying legislators to increase DISL’s annual state appropriation and to support supplemental funding requests for campus infrastructure renovations. Prior to COVID, Dr. Valentine also made annual spring visits to Washington D.C. to ensure our state’s national leadership continued to value Alabama’s coastal sciences. As evidence of this success, Dr. Valentine’s budget in FY 2021 has grown to just under $20M and projected to reach $26 million this year depending on the final numbers for restricted funds. On the DISL campus, Dr. Valentine is responsible for leading the MESC’s Strategic Plan efforts, helping determine the priorities of campuswide budget plans, and ensuring that the lab’s safety, vessels, AAUS Diving procedures and our internal Code of Ethics are adhered to.

The Presidents from the MESC-member schools serve as DISL’s Board. From the 21 Presidents, the Presidents from the Universities of Alabama and South Alabama, Auburn University, and Stillman and Montevallo Colleges comprise the Executive Committee that oversee many of Dr. Valentine’s primary activities. Maintaining personal relationships with the board members requires Dr. Valentine to visit member campuses each year to ensure they continue to support DISL’s mission to reduce redundancy in marine education and research via participation in DISL’s extensive annual summer courses.

During the academic year, he ensures faculty and infrastructure are able to support coursework and research for graduate students in residence on the DISL campus primarily at three member schools (UA, USA, and AU), as well as Discovery Hall’s extensive K-12 Programs. In addition to the funding agencies mentioned above, Dr.Valentine supports such efforts through his role as Director of Alabama’s RESTORE Act-funded Center of Excellence, and service as the current Board President of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium. As one example, in 2015, a research team led by Dr. Valentine was awarded $6.5 million to conduct studies on the role of biodiversity in determining the resiliency of the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon accident. In another, some $7.9 million will be dispersed over five years to stimulate new research into the cumulative effects of stressors on the resilience of the northcentral Gulf of Mexico. Recently, in collaboration with the University of Southern Mississippi, Dr. Valentine serves as lead PI on a 4-year national demonstration project intended to assess the utility of the Integrated Multitrophic Apparatus in supporting the growth of commercially valuable red drum, oysters and algae in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Funding for this 4-year study is excess of $6.4 million.

More than 90 students, technicians and post-doctoral students were supported by these efforts. He is lead or second author on over 82 scientific articles and technical reports and served as an academic editor for the scientific journals Marine Ecology Progress Series and PLoSOne. Hos H-index is 32 with nearly 5,000 citations of his work. He has also served as a panelist for multiple NSF Programs, EPA’s STAR Program, U.S. Geological Survey Climate Change, and NOAA’s National Undersea Research Program. For more information on Dr. Valentine’s recent research activities please go to www.disl.edu.

Prior to being named the MESC Executive Director, Dr. Valentine served as Chair of the Sea Lab’s University Programs. Since arriving at DISL, he has written or co-authored over 97 grant proposals for research. Support for his research has come from federal, state agencies including the NSF, NOAA, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FDA, EPA, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP), The Gulf of Mexico Research Institution and The Nature Conservancy. Dr. Valentine was one of three principal authors for the MBNEP nomination package.

Education: Ph.D., University of Alabama, 1989

Research

My current research interests examine the role of biotic processes, and human perturbations, in controlling the flow of energy among trophic levels both within and between marine habitats, with emphasis on submerged vegetated habitats. This research is being conducted in diverse locations ranging from the lower reaches of the Mobile Bay Delta to the Marine Protected Areas of the northern Florida Keys.

Much of the emphasis of this work is on 1 experimental assessments of grazing intensity in seagrass habitats, 2 responses of seagrasses to this grazing, and 3 the role of omnivory in controlling trophic cascades in marine systems.

Newly funded work will examine 1 the degree to which marine production can subsidize the diets adult freshwater piscivorous fishes in oligohaline vegetated habitats in the northern Gulf of Mexico, 2 the relative value of infaunal functional groups to demersal fish growth, also in the northern Gulf of Mexico and 3 the indirect effects of the removal of large predatory fishes on the base of seagrass food webs in the Florida Keys.

Finally, one planned project will be to investigate the degree to which seagrass detritus can subsidize the productivity of macroinvertebrates in nearby unvegetated habitats.

The overall significance of this research lies in its attempt to understand the processes that control the distribution and productivity of submerged vegetated habitats throughout the western Atlantic Ocean. Because of the widespread occurrence of these habitats, the extraordinary productivity, and richness of their associated biota, an understanding of the factors controlling their distribution and the degree to which they subsidize the productivity of nearby less productive habitats is essential to our understanding of how the overall productivity of nearshore waters is determined.

Selected Current Research Grants

Lead PI - Alabama Center for Ecological Resilience. Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (2015-2018). - $6,497,054
Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and MESC/Dauphin Island Sea Lab Collaboration - $790,000.00
National Science Foundation - “Collaborative Proposal: Gulf Coast ADVANCE: Cross-Institutional Synergy for Women Scientist - $44,652.00

Projects

• Alabama Center of Excellence

Publications

2024

• Lewis, K.A., M. Shaffer C..W. Martin, R.R Christian, A.M McDonald, J.F Valentine, and J.S Link (In Press). An Iterative Analysis of Ecosystem Response to Disturbances in the Coastal Zone: A Case Study of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Earth Systems and Environmental Sciences. Elsevier.

2023

• Martin, C.W., A. M. McDonald, J.F. Valentine and B.J. Roberts. Towards relevant ecological experiments and assessments of coastal oil spill effects: Insights from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Front. Environ. Sci., Sec. Freshwater Science, https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2022.1092097

2022

• Martin, C.W and J. F. Valentine. Climate-Induced Expansion of Consumers in Seagrass Ecosystems: Lessons From Invasion Ecology. Front. Mar. Sci. 9:867173. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2022.867173
• Blackmon, D.C. and J. F. Valentine. Predator-Induced Nocturnal Benthic Emergence: Field and Experimental Evidence for an Unknown Behavioral Escape Mechanism along the Coral Reef–Seagrass Interface. Diversity. 14(9), 762. https://doi.org/10.3390/d14090762

2021

• Lewis, K.A., R.R. Christian, C.W. Martin, K.L. Allen, A.M. McDonald, V.M. Roberts, M.N. Shaffer, and J.F. Valentine. Complexities of disturbance response in a marine food web. Limnol. Oceanogr.67, 2022, S352–S364. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.11790

2020

• Valentine, J.F. and K. L. Heck, Jr. Herbivory in Seagrass Meadows: an Evolving Paradigm. Estuaries and Coasts (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-020-00849-3
• Martin, C.W., K.A Lewis, A.M. McDonald, T.P. Spearman, S.B. Alford, R.C. Christian, and J.F. Valentine. Disturbance-driven changes to northern Gulf of Mexico nekton communities following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill: evidence for the need for expanded coastal monitoring systems. Marine Pollution Bulletin. 155: 111098. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111098
• Stapleton, C.A., D.W. Haywick, M.L. Julius, L. Novoveska, and J.F. Valentine. How anthropogenic activities impacted Polecat Bay near Mobile, Alabama, USA: a paleoecological study and forensic investigation. Environmental Forensics. https://doi.org/10.1080/15275922.2020.1836073

2019

• Seubert, E.A., N.E. Hussey, S.P. Powers, J.F. Valentine, and J.M. Drymon. Assessing trophic flexibility of a predator assemblage across a large estuarine seascape using blood plasma stable isotope analysis. Food Webs. Volume 21. e00132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fooweb.2019.e00132
• Martin, C.W. and J.F. Valentine. Invasion of Eurasian Milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum Lead to a “Trophic Dead End” and Reduced Food Web Complexity in Gulf of Mexico Estuarine Food Webs? Front. Environ. Sci. https://doi.org/10.3389/fenvs.2019.00166

2018

• Martin, C.W. and J.F. Valentine. Eurasian milfoil in Gulf of Mexico estuaries: does invasion of complex submerged vegetation lead to a “trophic dead end” in estuarine food webs? PeerJ Preprints. 6:e27454v1. https://doi.org/10.7287/peerj.preprints.27454v1
• Kauffman, T.C., C.W. Martin, and J.F. Valentine. Hydrological alteration exacerbates the negative impacts of invasive Eurasian milfoil Myriophyllum spicatum by creating hypoxic conditions in a northern Gulf of Mexico estuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 592: 97-108. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps12517

2016

• Bearden, B., J. Valentine, P. O'Neil, and S. Jones. Emerging Water Policy Issues in Coastal Alabama. The Wave. Volume 37. Number 3. 15-23.

2015

• Steele, L. and J. F. Valentine. Seagrass deterrence to mesograzer herbivory: evidence from mesocosm experiments and feeding preference trials. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 524:83-94. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11127

2014

• Martin, C. W. and J. F. Valentine. Tolerance of embryos and hatchlings of the invasive apple snail Pomacea maculata to estuarine conditions. Aquatic Ecology. 48:321-326
• Martin, C.W. and J.F. Valentine. Sexual and asexual reproductive strategies of invasive Eurasian milfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum) in estuarine environments. Hydrobiologia. 727:177-184. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-013-1798-9

2013

• Blackmon, D. C. and J. F. Valentine. Recurring nocturnal benthic emergence along the coral reef–seagrass interface in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary: Evidence of a possible novel prey escape response. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 448:220 -227. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2013.07.012
• Peterson, B. J., J. F. Valentine and K. L. Heck. The snapper–grunt pump: Habitat modification and facilitation of the associated benthic plant communities by reef-resident fish. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 441:50-54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2013.01.015
• Valentine, J. F., K. L. Heck, M. R. Dardeau, and H. Burch. Ecosystem-based Management of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Pp. 71 -92, In: J.W. Day and A. Yanez-Arancibia (Eds.), Gulf of Mexico Origin, Waters, and Biota. Volume 4 - Ecosystem -Based Management. Texas A & M University Press, College Station, TX. 466 p.
• Rozas, L. P., C.W. Martin, C. W., and J.F. Valentine. Effects of reduced hydrological connectivity on the nursery use of shallow estuarine habitats within a river delta. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 492:9-20
• Shepard, A.N., J. F. Valentine, C.F. D'Elia, D.W. Yoskowitz, and D.E. Dismukes. Economic impact of Gulf of Mexico, Integrating ecosystem services values into restoration decision-making. Gulf of Mexico Science. 31:10-27. https://doi.org/10.18785/goms.3101.02

2012

• Steele, L. and J. F. Valentine. Idiosyncratic responses of seagrass phenolic production following sea urchin grazing. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 466:81 -92. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09921
• Martin, C. W. and J. F. Valentine. Eurasian milfoil invasion in estuaries: Physical disturbance can reduce the proliferation of an aquatic nuisance species. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 449:109 -119. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps09515
• Lemoine, N. P. and J. F. Valentine. Structurally complex habitats provided by Acropora palmata influence ecosystem processes on a reef in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Coral Reefs 31:779 -786. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-012-0891-2
• Puntilla, R. I., C. W. Martin and J. F. Valentine. Measuring predation with a new design of submersible chronographic timer. Bulletin of Marine Science 88:1115 -1122. https://doi.org/10.5343/bms.2012.1011

2011

• Martin, C. M. and J. F. Valentine. Impacts of a Habitat-Forming Exotic Species on Estuarine Structure and Function: An Experimental Assessment of Eurasian Milfoil. Estuaries and Coasts. 34:364 -372. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-010-9274-5

2010

• Martin, C. W., M. Valentine and J. F. Valentine. Competitive interactions between Invasive Nile Tilapia and Native Fish: the potential for altered trophic exchange and modification of food webs. PLoSONE. 5:1 -6. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0014395

2009

• Goecker, M., J. F. Valentine, S. S. Sklenar and G. Chaplin. Influence from hydrological modification on energy and nutrient transference in a deltaic food web. Estuaries and Coasts. 32: 173 -187. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-008-9105-0
• Chaplin, G. and J. F. Valentine. Secondary production of macroinvertebrates in the tidal influenced Mobile Bay Delta. Estuaries and Coasts 32:319 -332. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-008-9117-9

2008

• Valentine J. F., K. L.Heck, Jr., D. Blackmon, B. J. Peterson, M. E. Goecker, J. Christian, R. M. Kroutil, M. A. VanderKlift, K. D. Kirsch, and M. Beck. Exploited species impacts on trophic linkages along reef -seagrass interfaces in the Florida Keys. Ecological Applications 18:1501 -1515. https://doi.org/10.1890/07-1720.1

2007

• Park, K., J. F. Valentine, K. R. Weis, and M. R. Dardeau.The Effects of Hurricane Ivan in the Inner Part of Mobile Bay, Alabama. Journal of Coastal Research 23:1332 -1336. https://doi.org/10.2112/06-0686.1
• Heck, K. L., and J. F. Valentine. The primacy of top-down effects in shallow benthic ecosystems. Estuaries and Coasts 30:371-381. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02819384
• Vanderklift, M. A., J. How, T. Wernberg, L. D. MacArthur, K. L. Heck, Jr ,and J. F. Valentine. Proximity to reef influences the density of small predatory fishes while type of seagrass influences intensity of predation on crabs. Marine Ecology Progress Series 340:235 -243. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps340235
• Fioravanti. G. and J. F. Valentine. Impacts of reef architecture and fishing on food webs in back reef environments of the upper Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Florida Scientist 70:120 -136. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24321733
• Valentine, J. F., K. L. Heck, Jr., D. Blackmon, M. E. Goecker, J. Christian, R. M. Kroutil, K. D. Kirsch, B. J. Peterson, M. Beck and M. A. Vanderklift. Food web interactions along seagrass-coral reef boundaries: effects of piscivore reductions on cross-habitat energy exchange. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 333: 37-50. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps333037

2006

• Heck, K. L., Jr., J. F. Valentine, J. R. Pennock, G. Chaplin and P. M. Spitzer. Effects of nutrient enrichment and grazing on shoal grass (Halodule wrightii) and its epiphytes: Results of a field experiment. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 326: 145 -156. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps326145
• Heck, K. L., J. F. Valentine, J. R. Pennock, G. Chaplin and P. M. Spitzer. How herbivores can mediate the effects of nutrient enrichment on seagrass meadows: unexpected results of a field experiment. Marine Ecology Progress Series 326:145 -156.
• Valentine, J. F. and J. Emmett Duffy. The Central Role of Grazing in Seagrass Ecology. In book: Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology, and Conservation. Pp. 463-501. Springer, Dordrecht.
• Heck, K. L. and J. F. Valentine. Plant-herbivore interactions in seagrass meadows. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 330:420-436. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jembe.2005.12.044
• Goecker, M., J. F. Valentine and S. Sklenar. Effects of exotic submerged aquatic vegetation on waterfowl in the Mobile-Tensaw Delta. Gulf of Mexico Science 24:68 -80. https://doi.org/10.18785/goms.2401.09

2005

• Valentine, J. F. and K. L. Heck, Jr. Interaction strength at the coral reef-seagrass interface: has overfishing diminished the importance of seagrass habitat production for coral reef food webs. Coral Reefs 24:209 -213. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24870885
• Valentine, J. F. and K. L. Heck, Jr. Perspective review of the impacts of overfishing on coral reef food web linkages. Coral Reefs 24 (2): 209 -213. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-004-0468-9
• Goecker, M. E., K. L. Heck, Jr. and J. F. Valentine. Effects of nitrogen content in turtlegrass, Thalassia testudinum, on consumption by the bucktooth parrotfish, Sparisoma radians. Marine Ecology Progress Series 286:239 -248.

2004

• Valentine, J. F., E. F. Blythe, S. Madhavan and T. D. Sherman. Effects of stimulated herbivory on nitrogen enzyme levels, assimilation and allocation in Thalassia testudinum. Aquatic Botany 79:235 -255. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aquabot.2004.04.001

2003

• Spitzer, P.M., K.L. Heck, Jr. and J.F. Valentine. Then and now: a comparison of patterns in blue crab post-larval abundance and post-settlement mortality during the early and late 1990s in the Mobile Bay system. Bull. Mar. Sci. 72: 435 -452.

2002

• Kirsch, K.D., J.F. Valentine, and K.L Heck, Jr. Parrotfish grazing in turtlegrass Thalassia testudinum: evidence for the importance of seagrass consumption in food web dynamics of the Florida keys national Marine Sanctuary. Marine Ecology Progress Series 227: 71 -85. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps227071

2001

• Aronson, R. B., K. L. Heck, Jr. and J. F. Valentine. Measuring predation with tethering experiments. Marine Ecology Progress Series 214: 311 -312.
• Valentine, J. F., K. L. Heck, Jr., K. K. Kirsch and D. Webb. The role of leaf nitrogen content in determining turtlegrass (Thalassia testudinum) grazing by a generalist herbivore in the northeastern Gulf of Mexico. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 258: 65 -86.

2000

• Heck, K. L., Jr., J. R. Pennock, J. F. Valentine, L. D. Coen and S. S. Sklenar. Effects of nutrient enrichment and large predator removal on seagrass nursery habitats: an experimental assessment. Limnology and Oceanography.

1999

• Valentine, J. F. and K. L. Heck, Jr. Seagrass herbivory: evidence for the continual grazing of marine grasses. Marine Ecology Progress Series 176:291 -302.

1995

• Valentine, J.F., M. Dardeau, M. Zolkewitz and G. Crozier. An environmental assessment of the health of Mobile Bay using benthic infaunal organisms: A report to the Gulf Coast Industrial Environmental Forum. 32 p. https://doi.org/10.3390/d12020049