Global Fellow Robert Lamb Explores Deep-Reef Refuges in Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands

^{Global Fellow Robert Lamb and collaborator diving in the Galápagos while conducting research on deep‑reef refuges.}

 

What happens to marine species when the waters around the Galápagos become too warm? Some may survive by going deeper.

Robert “Robbie” Lamb, Ph.D., research assistant professor with the UF/IFAS Nature Coast Biological Station, in the University of Florida School of Forest, Fisheries and Geomatics Sciences, is investigating whether deep rocky reefs can provide a refuge for vulnerable marine species during El Niño events.

This summer, with support from the UF International Center Global Fellows Program and sponsorship from the UF/IFAS Global Food Systems Institute (GFSI), Lamb traveled to Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands as an El Niño event was building to investigate what happens beneath the warm surface.

During El Niño, warm surface water can disrupt the nutrient-rich currents that sustain the Galápagos marine food web. “Animals literally starve to death while others are affected by disease outbreaks,” Lamb said, adding that these events have caused the purported extinction of several endemic marine species.

At greater depths, however, water temperatures can remain cooler, raising the possibility that some species may survive there.

 

Searching deeper for signs of survival

Lamb’s Global Fellows project tests what scientists call the deep reef refuge hypothesis: whether deeper reefs below the thermocline induced by El Niño can provide cooler habitat for species unable to tolerate warming in shallower waters.

His research focuses in part on two endemic species that declined dramatically during the 1982-83 El Niño event: Wellington’s solitary coral (Rhizopsammia wellingtoni) and the Galápagos damselfish (Azurina eupalama).

To search for rare species, Lamb uses environmental DNA, or eDNA, to detect biological traces organisms leave behind in seawater. A specialized sampling device can process hundreds of liters of water in a single deployment, increasing the probability of detecting species that may be difficult to find. Positive detections can then guide dives and health assessments.

Overall, this project aims to investigate whether deep rocky reefs in the Galápagos Islands can serve as a refuge from surface ocean warming during El Niño events.

The work depends as much on collaboration as on technology. In this Global Fellow trip, Lamb worked with partners at the Galápagos National Park, Charles Darwin Research Station, Brown University, and Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.

The collaboration has already contributed to new datasets, conference presentations, international collaborations, student involvement, a publication under review, and a submitted grant proposal.

^{Lamb and research collaborators prepare for underwater fieldwork in Ecuador’s Galápagos Islands.}

 

The value of Global Fellows

For Lamb, the Global Fellows Program offered more than support for his international research. It gave him a broader understanding of UF’s international research ecosystem and connected him with a community of globally engaged faculty.

“By connecting with deans, the UF International Center, individual departments, and administrative offices, I gained a new high-level view of the international research ecosystem,” Lamb said. “What I did not expect was how tight-knit a group our Global Fellows cohort became.”

He described the cohort as “an inspiring and innovative group of people who have chosen to extend themselves beyond our national borders to create international collaborations with reciprocal benefit.”

 

^{Galápagos sea lions in Ecuador, where Global Fellow Robert Lamb conducted research on deep-reef refuges.}

From the Galápagos to Florida

The Galápagos provides an exceptional natural laboratory, but Lamb's questions extend beyond Ecuador. Florida also depends on marine and coastal ecosystems facing warming waters, disease, and other environmental stresses. Understanding whether deeper habitats can provide refuge during extreme warming, and advancing tools such as eDNA to detect and monitor difficult-to-find species, can contribute to broader research on how marine ecosystems respond to environmental change.

For Lamb, the expedition has already generated data, strengthened international partnerships, involved students, and helped position the research for publications and future funding. But the central question remains: When warming waters make life increasingly difficult above, can vulnerable species survive by going deeper? Lamb’s work in the Galápagos is helping researchers find out.

Interested in becoming the next Global Fellow? Applications for the 2027 Global Fellows Program are now open.