William Sample

PhD Student, Biological Sciences

Email: wsamp003@fiu.edu

Advisor: Dr. Michael Heithaus

Will is a marine and behavioral ecologist particularly interested in the drivers that determine habitat use and predation patterns of top-level consumers. His current dissertation research focuses on how environmental conditions influence the movement patterns of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) across varying spatial and temporal scales in coastal estuaries, as well as the metabolic costs associated with balancing energy budgets across natural gradients. The overall goal of his work is to determine how changes in salinity regimes and freshwater pulses will impact these nursery habitats, to understand the fine-scale details of how juvenile sharks use these ecosystems, and to better inform future management practices.