Dr. Rosanna J. Milligan
Rosanna (Zan) Milligan is an Associate Professor in the Dept. of Marine and Environmental Sciences, Halmos College of Natural Sciences & Oceanography at Nova Southeastern University, FL where she leads the Seascape Ecology Lab. She received her PhD in 2015 from the University of Glasgow, UK.
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​My research interests lie in understanding how deep-sea fishes (and sometimes other mobile fauna) respond dynamically to their environments, across different spatial, temporal, and organizational scales, and using that understanding to identify indicators and other predictors of ecological change within these dynamic ocean settings. I am particularly interested in developing a better understanding of ecological patterns and underlying processes that arise around ecological boundaries (e.g., the benthic-pelagic or inshore-offshore interface), and in understanding the role that fishes and other mobile fauna play in creating connections across these boundaries and the implications for wider ecosystem health.
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My Orcid ID: orcid.org/0000-0002-8296-4780
​My ResearcherID: J-3058-2014
She / Her
Current Students
Meta Hughes
Meta Hughes (Current M.S. Marine Science student, Nova Southeastern University, B.S. Biology, University of Texas)
I am currently a Master of Marine Science Student at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) studying fishes in the Seascape Ecology Lab under Dr. Rosanna Milligan. My thesis work focuses on the distribution of fishes in relation to varying light levels in the northern pelagic Gulf of Mexico (GOM). Daytime light levels will be calculated using a light attenuation model that utilizes satellite PAR measurements and will be extrapolated down to 1000m, while nighttime light levels will use moon phase as a proxy. Fish data will come from the data collected during the DEEPEND project. The main goal of this study is to see if fish distribution correlates with varying light intensity.
Keith Centeno
Meta Hughes (Current M.S. Marine Science student, Nova Southeastern University, B.S. Marine Biology at Barry University, Florida)
I am currently a Master of Science student at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) studying dragonfishes in the Seascape Ecology Lab under Dr. Rosanna Milligan. My thesis project is looking into the lateral body photophore pattern of the dragonfish Photostomias guernei and discerning if there are any intraspecific differences between the individuals of this species. Essentially, I am looking to see if the number, size, density, or pattern of these photophores are different between the sexes, maturity, length. and size of these fish. The goal of this project is to study how fluid this taxonomic feature is in this interesting family.
Lab Alumni & Former Staff
Sidney Trimble: Grad. Student Research Associate
Sidney R. Trimble (M.S. Marine Science, Nova Southeastern University; B.S. Biology, Kentucky Christian University, Grayson, KY)
In my Master's thesis, I estimated the carbon flux of Argyropelecus aculeatus (hatchetfish) within the Northern Gulf of Mexico. Hatchetfishes are one of the most abundant fishes in the world and some species (e.g., A. aculeatus) perform diel vertical migration and consume a large amount of prey, leading to them having a role in in the export and sequestration of anthropogenic carbon within the deep sea. The main goal of this study is to create individual-based A. aculeatus carbon flux models to estimate the carbon flux of these fishes and determine the extent of their role in the biological carbon pump (BCP) within the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
Mary Gad
Graduated: Winter 2024
Mary Gad (M.S. Marine Science, Nova Southeastern University)
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​Thesis link: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hcas_etd_all/160
Ian Areford: Grad. Student Research Associate
Graduated: Fall 2023
Ian Areford (M.S. Marine Science, Nova Southeastern University)
I studied the spatial distributions of deep-sea fishes in the Seascape Ecology Lab under Dr. Rosanna Milligan. My thesis project is focused on analyzing mesopelagic fish biomass patterns in the northern Gulf of Mexico in response to major oceanographic features such as the Loop Current, mesoscale eddies, and freshwater runoff from the Mississippi River. The overall goal is to determine whether these oceanographic features significantly affect the horizontal and/or vertical biomass distributions of these fishes in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
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Thesis link: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hcas_etd_all/160
Ryan Byrne
Graduated: Winter 2023
Ryan Byrne (M.S. Marine Science, Nova Southeastern University, B.S. Marine Science, University of South Carolina)
I am interested in using image-based analyses to help in determining where myctophid specimens may fall in their clade. My thesis project aims to utilize digital image analyses to offer insight into where an unidentified Diaphus specimen may fall within the genus. This is to be done with an examination of the lateral and orbital photophores of various myctophid specimens (mainly Diaphus spp.). Prior to NSU I received my Bachelor of Science in Marine Science at the University of South Carolina.
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Thesis link: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hcas_etd_all/128
Mikayla Twiss (M.S. Marine Science, Nova Southeastern University,
B.S. Marine Biology and Captive Wildlife Care and Education, Unity College)
Graduated: Fall 2022
The overall aim of my current research is to broaden our understanding of fish morphology by relating body shapes with established traits (e.g., vertical distribution patterns and diel vertical migration behaviors) using computer-aided morphometric techniques.
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Krista N. Scheuerman (B.S. Southwestern College, Winfield, Kansas, M.S. Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern University)
Graduated: Summer 2022
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My research involves analyzing data from the DEEPEND Project, specifically looking at fish biodiversity and community structure in the deep Gulf of Mexico. I am interested in the diversity of species that were collected in deep water trawls and the distribution of those specimens involving a depth gradient and time of day. The data gathered focused on the previously unknown and generally unstudied mesopelagic fishes of the northern Gulf. I am currently in my first year at Nova Southeastern University and beginning the framework for my thesis research with Dr. Milligan in the Seascape Ecology Lab.
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Thesis link: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hcas_etd_all/99/
Adam Warren (M.S. Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern University)
Graduated: Summer 2022
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My research involves examining the patterns of diel and ontogenetic vertical migration, vertical abundance, and distribution in the mesopelagic lanternfish in the northern Gulf of Mexico through detailing their size structuring and life history. My thesis aims to get a better understanding of one of the dominant fish in the highly complex and variable ecosystem structure of the Gulf of Mexico.
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Thesis link: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hcas_etd_all/98/
Thomas Ingalls (B.S Marine Biology, M.S. Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern University)
Graduated: Winter 2021
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I am interested in age and growth of commercial sciaenids from the Gulf of Mexico. My thesis focuses on how the shape and structure of otoliths change with age and environment. I will be using a combination of image analyses and increment analysis to study how the morphology of otoliths change with age, and if we can use shape and structure as a novel predictor of age.
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Thesis Link: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/hcas_etd_all/34/
Nina Pruzinsky: Research Assistant (Oct 2020-Feb 2022)
M.S. Marine Biology, Nova Southeastern University, B.S. Environmental Science, University of Delaware
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Nina’s Masters thesis focused on the identification, faunal composition, and spatiotemporal distributions of larval and juvenile tunas in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The findings from the spatiotemporal distribution analyses are highlighted in her recent publication entitled, “Pelagic habitat partitioning of late-larval and juvenile tunas in the oceanic Gulf of Mexico,” in Frontiers in Marine Science (doi: 103389/fmars.202000257). In Dr. Milligan’s lab, Nina conducts statistical analyses on biological and environmental data collected during the NRDA ONSAP and DEEPEND cruises in the Gulf of Mexico. Her recent research interests have focused on analyzing vertical distributions of deep-pelagic fishes on fine-scale depth ranges and differing solar cycles. She has also worked on identifying life history traits that can be used to create functional groups of deep-sea fishes for ecosystem management purposes.
Graduated: Fall 2024