Mark McCauley, PhD
As a member of the Benthic Ecology lab at the Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, FL, Mark serves as the team lead for the Coral Propagation Technique Development Project, and as the scientific coordinator for multiple federal labs working to restore deep and mesophotic coral species in the Gulf of Mexico.
Through collaborations with the University of Florida and NOAA, Mark is investigating the use of eDNA for biodiversity monitoring and am leading the synthesis of global eDNA and microbiome genetic databases. He serves as a Courtesy Research Assistant Professor in the Whitney Laboratory for Marine Bioscience at the University of Florida (2024), and as an ambassador to the National Microbiome Data Collaborative (2024).
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Biological Science, University of Mississippi, USA (2019)
B.Sc (Hons.) Zoology, University of St. Andrews, Scotland (2011)
Science and Products
Non-USGS Publications**
Mandelare, P.E., Yee, S.S., Icenhour, D.G., Kaweesa, E.N., McCauley, M., Risinger, A.L., Rudolf, J.D. and Loesgen, S., 2024 “Chemical Diversity of Aspergillus alliaceus Phenotypes: Discovery of brominated bianthrones with activity against triple‐negative breast cancer cell lines”. ChemBioChem, p.e202400398.
McCauley, M., Koda, S., Loesgen, S., Duffy, D. 2024 “Multicellular species environmental (e)DNA research constrained by overfocus on mitochondrial DNA.” Science of the Total Environment, 169550.
Koda, S., McCauley, M., Farrel, J., Whilde, J., Duffy, D., 2023 “A novel eDNA approach for rare species monitoring: application of long-read shotgun sequencing to Lynx rufus soil pawprints”. Biological Conservation.
McCauley, M., Goulet, T.L., Jackson, C.R., Loesgen, S. 2023 “Systematic review of cnidarian microbiomes reveals insights into the structure, specificity, and fidelity of marine associations.” Nature: Communications, 14(1):4899.
Whitmore, L., McCauley, M., Farrell, J.A., Stammnitz, M.R., Koda, S.A., Mashkour, N., Summers, V., Osborne, T., Whilde, J. and Duffy, D.J., 2023. “Inadvertent human genomic bycatch and intentional capture raise beneficial applications and ethical concerns with environmental DNA”. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 15:1-16.
Jagels, A., Adpressa, D.A., Kaweesa, E.N., McCauley, M., Philmus, B., Strother, J.A. and Loesgen, S., 2023. “Metabolomics-Guided Discovery, Isolation, Structure Elucidation, and Bioactivity of Myropeptins C–E from Myrothecium inundatum”. Journal of Natural Products, 86(7):1723-1735.
Maruyama, S., Mandelare-Ruiz, P.E., McCauley, M., Peng, W., Cho, B.G., Wang, J., Mechref, Y., Loesgen, S. and Weis, V.M., 2022. Heat Stress of Algal Partner Hinders Colonization Success and Alters the Algal Cell Surface Glycome in a Cnidarian-Algal Symbiosis. Microbiology Spectrum, 01567-22.
Chiarello, M., McCauley, M., Jackson, C.R., “Ranking the biases: the choice of OTUs vs. ASVs in 16S rRNA amplicon data analysis has stronger effects on diversity measures than rarefaction and similarity threshold.” PloS one, 17(2), p.e0264443.
McCauley, M., Chiarello, M., Atkinson, C. L., Jackson, C.R., 2021. “Gut microbiomes of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) are taxonomically and phylogenetically variable across years but remain functionally stable.” Microorganisms, 9(2):411.
McCauley, M., Jackson, C.R., Goulet, T.L., 2020. “Microbiomes of Caribbean octocorals vary over time but are resistant to environmental change.” Frontiers in Microbiology, 11:1272.
McCauley, M., Jackson, C.R., Goulet, T.L., 2020. “Microbiomes of Caribbean octocorals vary over time but are resistant to environmental change.” Frontiers in Microbiology, 11:1272.
McCauley, M., German, D.P., Lujan, N.K., Jackson, C.R., 2020. “Gut microbiomes of sympatric Amazonian wood‐eating catfishes (Loricariidae) reflect host identity and little role in wood digestion.” Ecology and Evolution, 10(14):7117-7128.
McCauley, M. and Goulet, T.L., 2019 “Caribbean gorgonian octocorals cope with nutrient enrichment.” Marine Pollution Bulletin, 141:621-628.
McCauley, M., Banaszak, A, T., Goulet, T. L., 2018 “Species traits dictate seasonal-dependent responses of octocoral-algal symbioses to elevated temperature and ultraviolet radiation.” Coral Reefs, 37(3):901-917.
Strehlow, B., Friday, S., McCauley, M., Hill, M., 2016 “The potential of azooxanthellate poriferan hosts to assess the fundamental and realized Symbiodinium niche; evaluating a novel method to initiate Symbiodinium associations.” Coral Reefs, 35(4):1201-1212.
Riesgo, A., Peterson, K., Richardson, C., Heist, T., Strehlow, B., McCauley, M., Cotman, C., Hill, M., Hill, A., 2014 “Transcriptomic analysis of differential host gene expression upon uptake of symbionts: a case study with Symbiodinium and the major eroding sponge Cliona varians.” BMC Genomics, 15(1):376.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Non-USGS Publications**
Mandelare, P.E., Yee, S.S., Icenhour, D.G., Kaweesa, E.N., McCauley, M., Risinger, A.L., Rudolf, J.D. and Loesgen, S., 2024 “Chemical Diversity of Aspergillus alliaceus Phenotypes: Discovery of brominated bianthrones with activity against triple‐negative breast cancer cell lines”. ChemBioChem, p.e202400398.
McCauley, M., Koda, S., Loesgen, S., Duffy, D. 2024 “Multicellular species environmental (e)DNA research constrained by overfocus on mitochondrial DNA.” Science of the Total Environment, 169550.
Koda, S., McCauley, M., Farrel, J., Whilde, J., Duffy, D., 2023 “A novel eDNA approach for rare species monitoring: application of long-read shotgun sequencing to Lynx rufus soil pawprints”. Biological Conservation.
McCauley, M., Goulet, T.L., Jackson, C.R., Loesgen, S. 2023 “Systematic review of cnidarian microbiomes reveals insights into the structure, specificity, and fidelity of marine associations.” Nature: Communications, 14(1):4899.
Whitmore, L., McCauley, M., Farrell, J.A., Stammnitz, M.R., Koda, S.A., Mashkour, N., Summers, V., Osborne, T., Whilde, J. and Duffy, D.J., 2023. “Inadvertent human genomic bycatch and intentional capture raise beneficial applications and ethical concerns with environmental DNA”. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 15:1-16.
Jagels, A., Adpressa, D.A., Kaweesa, E.N., McCauley, M., Philmus, B., Strother, J.A. and Loesgen, S., 2023. “Metabolomics-Guided Discovery, Isolation, Structure Elucidation, and Bioactivity of Myropeptins C–E from Myrothecium inundatum”. Journal of Natural Products, 86(7):1723-1735.
Maruyama, S., Mandelare-Ruiz, P.E., McCauley, M., Peng, W., Cho, B.G., Wang, J., Mechref, Y., Loesgen, S. and Weis, V.M., 2022. Heat Stress of Algal Partner Hinders Colonization Success and Alters the Algal Cell Surface Glycome in a Cnidarian-Algal Symbiosis. Microbiology Spectrum, 01567-22.
Chiarello, M., McCauley, M., Jackson, C.R., “Ranking the biases: the choice of OTUs vs. ASVs in 16S rRNA amplicon data analysis has stronger effects on diversity measures than rarefaction and similarity threshold.” PloS one, 17(2), p.e0264443.
McCauley, M., Chiarello, M., Atkinson, C. L., Jackson, C.R., 2021. “Gut microbiomes of freshwater mussels (Unionidae) are taxonomically and phylogenetically variable across years but remain functionally stable.” Microorganisms, 9(2):411.
McCauley, M., Jackson, C.R., Goulet, T.L., 2020. “Microbiomes of Caribbean octocorals vary over time but are resistant to environmental change.” Frontiers in Microbiology, 11:1272.
McCauley, M., Jackson, C.R., Goulet, T.L., 2020. “Microbiomes of Caribbean octocorals vary over time but are resistant to environmental change.” Frontiers in Microbiology, 11:1272.
McCauley, M., German, D.P., Lujan, N.K., Jackson, C.R., 2020. “Gut microbiomes of sympatric Amazonian wood‐eating catfishes (Loricariidae) reflect host identity and little role in wood digestion.” Ecology and Evolution, 10(14):7117-7128.
McCauley, M. and Goulet, T.L., 2019 “Caribbean gorgonian octocorals cope with nutrient enrichment.” Marine Pollution Bulletin, 141:621-628.
McCauley, M., Banaszak, A, T., Goulet, T. L., 2018 “Species traits dictate seasonal-dependent responses of octocoral-algal symbioses to elevated temperature and ultraviolet radiation.” Coral Reefs, 37(3):901-917.
Strehlow, B., Friday, S., McCauley, M., Hill, M., 2016 “The potential of azooxanthellate poriferan hosts to assess the fundamental and realized Symbiodinium niche; evaluating a novel method to initiate Symbiodinium associations.” Coral Reefs, 35(4):1201-1212.
Riesgo, A., Peterson, K., Richardson, C., Heist, T., Strehlow, B., McCauley, M., Cotman, C., Hill, M., Hill, A., 2014 “Transcriptomic analysis of differential host gene expression upon uptake of symbionts: a case study with Symbiodinium and the major eroding sponge Cliona varians.” BMC Genomics, 15(1):376.
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.