How do different censusing techniques affect our understanding of marine biodiversity?

Millions of people worldwide depend on the high biodiversity of tropical coastal ecosystems for livelihood and food security. My dissertation research combines biodiversity survey data using visual and genomic methods (i.e., environmental DNA) to understand the drivers of biodiversity across three regions of Indonesia that vary in anthropogenic pressures and environmental features. Results from this research not only examine broad ecological patterns in Indonesian coral reefs, but also help inform ecosystem-based approaches to conservation and fisheries management. My project is part of a larger collaborative effort to study coral reef fisheries and food security, funded by USAID.