Mark M. Littler

Senior Scientist, Botany

National Museum of Natural History

Smithsonian Institution

Washington, D.C. 20560-0166

Research Interests

Our research team is field and collection based and focuses on two themes. The first is our own Relative Dominance Theory that involves a rigorous experimental approach that addresses the controversial roles of destructive fishing versus pollution in the widespread phase shifts of coral to algal communities occurring on coral reefs worldwide. The second focus is monographic and field guide treatments designed to make the study of coral reef plant life accessible to all scientists (e.g., ecologists, physiologists, chemists, geologists, coastal-zone managers) and interested amateurs (aquarists, diving community).