Biology Faculty
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Dr. Will Patterson
Associate Professor
PhD: University of South Alabama, 1999, Marine Sciences
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Email: wpatterson@uwf.edu
Phone: 850-857-6123
Fax : 850-474-2749
Full CV
Personal webpage: http://www.uwf.edu/wpatterson
C
ourses Taught
Marine Fisheries, Marine Vertebrate Zoology, Field Marine Ecology, Aquaculture, Introduction to Marine Biology and Oceanography, Biology Seminar
Advisor
UWF Fisheries Club
University Committees:
Sponsored Research Advisory Committee, UWF Diver Control Board
Research Interests
My research interests include population dynamics, population structure, and habitat requirements of marine fishes, which range from inshore estuarine-dependent to oceanic pelagic species. Although the types of questions my students, colleagues, and I ask are quite varied, the underlying theme in all our work is understanding the rates of ecological processes that drive the ecosystems we are examining. Typically, our research is focused on commercially or recreationally exploited fishes, but we also are examining population dynamics of ecologically important but non-exploited fishes to gain understanding of the ecological effects of fishing on non-targeted species and habitats. Techniques we employ include age and growth estimation from otolith thin sections; estimating population structure and connectivity with otolith shape and otolith chemistry analysis; artificial tagging to estimate site fidelity and dispersion of adult fishes; gut content and muscle stable isotope analysis to examine trophic position and source(s) of production; remotely operated vehicle-based estimation of reef fish community structure; and, various modeling approaches to examine population dynamics, population connectivity, and ecosystem function.
Current Research
Examination of red snapper fisheries ecology on the northwest Florida shelf. 2009-10. Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute.
Migratory pathways and population connectivity in Gulf of Mexico king mackerel: A pilot study using next generation pop-up satellite archival tags. 2008-10. NOAA-MaRFIN.
A cooperative research approach to estimating population dynamics and stock mixing in king mackerel (with D.A. DeVries as Co-PI and B. Hartig and J. Thierry as cooperators). 2006-09. NOAA Fisheries.
Estimation of the source of red snapper recruits to west Florida and south Texas with otolith chemistry: Implications for stock structure (with J.H. Cowan, LSU). 2005-09. NOAA-MaRFIN.
The effect of unpublished artificial reefs deployed on the northwest Florida shelf. 2004-09. Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Minimizing discards in the Gulf of Mexico recreational red snapper fishery: Hook selectivity and the efficacy of a first fish rule (with C. Porch and A. Strelcheck as Co-PIs and several charterboat captains as cooperators). 2009-2011. NMFS-CRP
Selected Publications
Wells, R.J.D., J.H. Cowan, Jr., W.F. Patterson, III, and C.J. Walters. 2008. Trawling effects and habitat selection on life history parameters of Gulf of Mexico red snapper. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65:2399-2411.
Jeffers, S.A. W.F. Patterson, III, and J.H. Cowan, Jr. 2008. Habitat and bycatch effects on inshore lizardfish, Synodus foetens, population parameters in the north central Gulf of Mexico. U.S. Fishery Bulletin 106:417-426.
Patterson, W.F., III, J.H. Cowan, Jr., C.A. Wilson, and Z. Chen. 2008. Temporal and spatial variability in juvenile Gulf of Mexico red snapper otolith elemental signatures. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society. 137:521-532.
Clardy, T.R., W.F. Patterson, III, D.A. DeVries, and C. Palmer. 2008.Spatial and temporal variability in the relative contribution of U.S. king mackerel (Scomberomorus cavalla) stocks to winter mixed fisheries off South Florida. U.S. Fishery Bulletin 106:152-160.
Patterson, W.F., III. 2007. A review of Gulf of Mexico red snapper movement studies: Implications for population structure. Pages 221-236 in W.F. Patterson, III, J.H. Cowan, Jr., D.A. Nieland, and G.R. Gitzhugh, editors. Population Ecology and Fisheries of U.S. Gulf of Mexico Red Snapper. American Fisheries Society. Bethesda, Maryland.
Current Graduate Students (Names and Thesis research):
Carrie Fioramonti, “Population demographics in Gulf of Mexico gray triggerfish, Balistes capriscus”
Rachel Scharer, “Estimating estaurine residency of largetooth sawfish, Pristis microdon, with elemental signatures in vertebrae and rostral teeth”
Heather Moncrief, “Bioaccumulation of metals and polychlorinated biphenyls in red snapper, Lutjanus campechanus”