Dr. Joshua Patterson, Assistant Professor

Restoration Aquaculture
Center for Conservation
529 Estuary Shore Lane
Apollo Beach, FL 33572
Dr. Josh Patterson joined the School of Forest Resources & Conservation (SFRC) faculty in 2014 as an Assistant Professor of Restoration Aquaculture. He is housed at The Florida Aquarium (FLAQ) Center for Conservation in the Tampa Bay area and assists in the development of that facility.
Areas of active research and extension in the Patterson Lab are the use of aquaculture in coral reef restoration (corals, sponges, Diadema sea urchins), restoration and protection of seagrasses, bay scallop population enhancement, fisheries aspects of large-scale habitat restorations, and oyster reef restoration. In addition to FLAQ as a primary stakeholder, we work directly with state agencies such as the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and non-profit organizations engaged in restoration aquaculture. Addressing questions about culturing organisms for aquatic restoration requires the integration of fields including engineering, genetics, physiology, and ecology. Therefore, we also collaborate with academic colleagues from these disciplines.
Degrees:
PhD, Renewable Natural Resources, Louisiana State University, 2014
MS, Aquaculture/Aquatic Science, Kentucky State University, 2010
BS, Biology, George Mason University, 2006
Selected Recent Publications:
Patterson, J. 2019. The growing role of aquaculture in ecosystem restoration. Restoration Ecology EV:1-4. doi:10.1111/rec.13002.
Lohr, K., Khattri, R., Guingab-Cagmat, J., Camp, E., Garrett, T., Merritt, M., and Patterson, J. 2019. Metabolomic profiles differ among unique genotypes of a threatened Caribbean coral. Scientific Reports 9: 6067. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42434-0.
Suggett, D., Camp, E., Edmondson, J., Boström-Einarsson, L., Ramler, V., Lohr, K, and Patterson, J. 2019.Optimizing return-on-effort for coral nursery and out-planting practices to aid restoration of the Great Barrier Reef. Restoration Ecology 27: 683-693.doi:10.1111/rec.12916.
Schaberg, S., Patterson, J., Hill, J., Guindon, K., and Tuckett, Q. 2019. Fish community composition and diversity at a restored estuarine habitat mosaic in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA. Restoration Ecology 27: 54-62. doi:10.1111/rec.12712.
Lohr, K., Camp, E., Kuzhiumparambil, U., Lutz, A., Leggat, W., Patterson, J., and Suggett, D. 2019.Resolving coral photoacclimation dynamics through coupled photophysiological and metabolomic profiling. Journal of Experimental Biology 222: jeb195982. doi:10.1242/jeb.195982.
O’Donnell, K., Lohr, K., Bartels, E., Baums, I., and Patterson, J.2018. Acropora cervicornisgenet performance and symbiont identity throughout the restoration process. Coral Reefs 37: 1109-1118. doi:10.1007/s00338-018-01743-y.
O’Donnell, K., Lohr, K., Bartels, E., and Patterson, J. 2017. Evaluation of staghorn coral Acropora cervicornis(Lamarck, 1816) production techniques in an ocean-based nursery with consideration of coral genotype. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 487: 53-58. doi:10.1016/j.jembe.2016.11.013.
Patterson, J., Flint, M., Than, J., and Watson, C. 2016. Evaluation of substrate properties for settlement of Caribbean staghorn coral Acropora cervicornislarvae in a land-based system. North American Journal of Aquaculture 78: 337-345. doi:10.1080/15222055.2016.1185068.