Loretta Roberson
Co-Director, Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainability
Director, UPRRP CREST Puerto Rico Center for Environmental Neuroscience
Contact Information
Office: CN-230 (second floor of Natural Sciences)
Office Phone: (787) 764-0000, ext. 1-4796
Laboratory: CN-118 Lab phone: (787) 764-0000, ext. 1-2713
Email: Loretta.Roberson@gmail.com
Professional Preparation
| California State University, Northridge | Biology | B.S. 1994 |
| Stanford University, Stanford, CA | Biological Sciences | Ph.D. 2001 |
| California State University, Northridge | Plant Ecophysiology | Postdoctorate 2002-03 |
Research Interests:
Anthropogenic impacts on coastal marine communities; physiology, ecology, and evolution of eelgrass and coral reef communities; the ecology and evolution of RNA editing in eelgrass and algae; marine biomechanics; biofuel production.
Puerto Rico provides a unique opportunity to study the interacting effects of biological and physical factors, including anthropogenic factors, on tropical marine ecosystems. Puerto Rico is one of the most densely populated islands in the world with over 500 km of coastline. My work in Puerto Rico has three main directions: (1) understanding coral calcification mechanisms by coupling neurophysiological techniques with ecology and environmental science; (2) measuring the distribution of pollutants in the watersheds of the San Juan metropolitan area and their sublethal impacts on local flora and fauna; and (3) growth potential of macroalgae for use as biomass in biofuel production and bioremediation. These three areas require a highly interdisciplinary approach and will provide critical information for predicting coastal ecosystem trajectories as disturbances from human encroachment and storm activity increase in the region.
Our lab participates in the Puerto Rico Center for Environmental Neuroscience (PRCEN), a partnership between Environmental Science, Chemistry, and Biology at UPRRP and the Institute of Neurobiology at UPRMS; the UPRRP Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainability; and SeagrassNet, the Global Seagrass Monitoring Program.
Publications
- Roberson, L.M. 2007. Materials: Strength. In: Gaines, S.D. and M.W. Denny (eds.) Encyclopedia of Tidepools and Rocky Shores, University of California Press.
- L.P. Keegan, J.J. Rosenthal, L.M. Roberson, and M.A. O'Connell (2007). Purification and assay of ADAR activity. In: Gott, J. (ed.) Methods in Enzymology: RNA Editing and Modification, Elsevier.
- Roberson, L.M. and J.J.C. Rosenthal. 2006. An accurate fluorescent assay for quantifying the extent of RNA editing. RNA. 12:1-6.
- Roberson, L.M. and J.A. Coyer. 2004. Variation in blade morphology of the kelp Eisenia arborea: Incipient speciation due to local water motion? Marine Ecology Progress Series 282: 115-128
- M.W. Denny and L.M. Roberson. 2002. Blade motion and nutrient flux to the kelp, Eisenia arborea. Biological Bulletin 203:1-13
- Roberson, L.M. 2001. Evolution of kelp morphology in response to local physical factors: The effect of small-scale water flow on nutrient uptake, growth, and speciation in the southern sea palm, Eisenia arborea. Ph.D. Dissertation, Department of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, pp. 255
