Along with traditional fisheries management, marine protected areas (MPAs) are one of the few management levers available to conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services within the ocean. While much is known regarding the impacts of MPAs on targeted and non-targeted fish biomass, we know little regarding how ocean ecosystems function differently when fully protected from fishing as compared to fished areas. I am using a synthetic (meta-analysis) approach to understand how ecosystem function (i.e. species interactions) may be altered by these differing management scenarios.

La Jolla is home to a marine protected area (La Jolla Ecological Reserve) which prohibits the take of animals and plants. Do these habitats function differently than those that are exposed to fishing pressure?