Zach Siders
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Zach Siders

Quantitative Ecologist & Fisheries scientist
Assistant professor
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
School of Forest, Fisheries, & Geomatic Sciences
​University of Florida

Recent News


Fresh off the press is two journal articles from the Siders' lab:
Long C.A., Ahrens R.N.M., Jones T.T. & Siders Z.A. (2024). A machine learning approach for protected species bycatch estimation. Frontiers in Marine Science 11, 1331292. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2024.1331292
Love G.D., Siders Z.A., Gandy D.A., Pine W.E., Baker S. & Camp E.V. (2024). Unexpected stability in faunal population abundances following an estuary‐wide collapse of oysters. Ecosphere 15, e4857. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4857
​and six other journal articles that involved the Siders' lab:
​Chamberlin D.W., Potts J.C., Rogers W.D., Siders Z.A. & Patterson W.F. (2024). Bomb 14C validates Gray Triggerfish (Balistes capriscus) dorsal spine and otolith ageing protocols. Fisheries Research 279, 107123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fishres.2024.107123
Chong L., Siders Z.A., Lorenzen K., Ahrens R.N.M. & Camp E.V. (2024). Global synthesis of effects and feedbacks from artificial reefs on socioecological systems in recreational fisheries. Fish and Fisheries 25, 303–319. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12809
Collins A., Fluech B., Siders Z., Sipos M. & Zangroniz A. (2024). Diving for Data: Florida Sea Grant’s Great Goliath Grouper Count. Oceanography 37, 102–103. https://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2024.230
Duermit-Moreau E., Bojko J., Siders Z.A., Stephens N.C. & Behringer D.C. (2024). Decapod fisheries and parasite species richness: an exploration of host traits and parasitic influence. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11160-024-09860-4
Perry D., Siders Z.A., Crandall C., Morales N., Arlinghaus R., Lorenzen K., et al. (2024). Psychological commitment of freshwater anglers and its relation to their preferences for stocking and other management actions. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 81, 768–780. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2023-0269
Suriyamongkol T., Siders Z.A. & Mali I. (2024). Conservation implications of somatic growth and length-at-age in Pseudemys gorzugi, Rio Grande Cooter. Hydrobiologia 851, 3525–3539. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-024-05486-6

SPOTLIGHT

What is the effect of an estuary-wide oyster population collapse on reef fish recruitment and population abundances? From her M.S. research, Gabrielle Love used long-term fisheries-independent monitoring data before and after the 2012 collapse of the Apalachicola Bay oyster population to test for significant changes in standardized catch per unit effort (CPUE). With a Bayesian t-test and changepoint analysis, we found a surprising lack of evidence that reef resident and reef-associated fish recruit or overall population abundances declined following the oyster reef collapse. This result contrasts the general expectation that reef fish abundances are mediated by structural habitat availability. Check out the open-access publication!
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Standardized CPUE time series for overall catch (blue) and recruit sizes (green) for 11 fish and 1 crab from Apalachicola Bay, FL

Published in a special issue on "Predictive Biogeography" in Ecography is "Predicting time-at-depth weighted biodiversity patterns for sharks of the North Pacific." Built on the foundation of past publications for the North Pacific shark assemblage, we build a predictive model for estimating the amount of time sharks spend in different depths below the ocean's surface. We used published biotelemetry datasets and the species' reported depth range and habitat affinities to train our hurdle Ensemble Random Forest model. We then used this model to estimate where North Pacific sharks spend their time in the water column. Lastly, we compared taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional trait biodiversity metrics between assemblages based on depth ranges and assemblages built on time-at-depth preferences. Accounting for a species' time-at-depth preference led to very different outcomes and showed that shark alpha-diversity peaks at the top of the epipelagic (surface) and at the upper edge of the mesopelagic zone (200-300 m). 
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About Me

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I am a quantitative ecologist and fisheries scientist studying patterns across the ecological hierarchy in search of the processes that link individuals to populations, populations to communities, and communities to ecosystems. I specialize in integrating analytical methods into synthetic models aimed at providing robust inference and filling data gaps. I have applied these integrated models in a broad set of interdisciplinary problems ranging from building risk maps for conservation and natural resource priority species to estimating life history characteristics of data-deficient species. Above all, I enjoy solving puzzles across the natural sciences. 



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With a background in biology and chemistry, it is no wonder that my other interests feature these subjects prominently. I am an avid gardener with a collection of Zingiberales and orchids. I take much of my gardening inspiration by exploring the natural world and especially enjoy hunting for rare plants in situ. I try my hand at photography both in the garden and out exploring so the photos featured here are my own. 

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My Background

 I received a B.S. in Biology and B.A in Chemistry from the University of North Carolina Wilmington in 2013, staying on  for my M.S. studying the spatial and movement ecology of Basking Sharks in the Bay of Fundy. I completed my PhD at the University of Florida in 2017 studying the role of habitat in structuring aquatic interactions. I stayed on as a postdoctoral researcher from 2018-2020 before becoming an assistant research scientist working on an ecosystem-based fisheries management initiative in collaboration with NOAA Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center. In January 2023, I became an Assistant Professor at University of Florida.
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  • Home
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