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Elizabeth J. Cook

Lecturer in Marine Biology, Ecology Department (specialising in marine invasive species research)

 

Liz Cook

Telephone: 01631 559 243
E-mail: ejc@sams.ac.uk


 

 

Scientific interests

  • Invasive Species – Pathways, dispersal, environmental costs/benefits.  Specifically focused on interactions with climate change (particularly ocean acidification, storminess and eutrophication), aquaculture, hull fouling and the marine energy renewable industry.
  • Integrated Aquaculture – Use of nutrient extracting organisms to mitigate the impacts of aquaculture.


Current projects

  • Impact of marine renewable energy structures on the successful invasion and spread of non-native species.  Funded by UHI Millennium Institute and SuperGen (2009 - 2012).
  • Effect of ocean acidfication on the invasive caprellid Caprella mutica.  Funded by the British Ecological Society (2009 - 2010).
  • Marine Aliens II - Controlling marine invasive species by targeting the vectors of dispersal. Funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (2008 - 2011).  Website: www.marlin.ac.uk/marine_aliens
  • OCEANS 2025 - Understanding the role of (1) generalist and specialist predators and implications for the stability and resilience of systems comprised of species with strong (specialist) and weak (generalist) trophic interactions in relation to invasive species and (2) species diversity and climate change in determining the invasibility of marine systems and the impact this will have on ecosystem function’

 

Past projects

  • Marine Aliens - Conserving native marine biodiversity by raising awareness of non-native species.  Funded by the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation (2004 - 2007).  Website: www.marlin.ac.uk/marine_aliens
  • Invasive Alga - Controlling the spread of the invasive macroalga Sargassum muticum. Funded by the Scottish Executive (2007-2008)
  • Atlantic Arc Aquaculture Project (EU Interreg IIB funded project) - Assessing the effectiveness of integrated aquaculture to minimise the impact of aquaculture on the environment and to simultaneouly provide a second commercially viable species (2003-2006). Website: www.arcaqua.org
  • SPIINES2 - Sea urchin production in integrated systems, their nutrition & roe enhancment.  Assessing the effectiveness of integrating sea urchins into existing aquaculture systems to minimise the impact of aquaculture on the environment & to simultaneously provide a commerically viable product.  This project aims to push for the acceptance of farmed rather than fished sea urchins in order to reduce fishing pressure on dwindling stocks (2005-2007).
  • Biofiltration and Aquaculture (BIOFAQs) - Assessing the effectiveness of natural biofouling in reducing the impact of aquaculture (2000 -2003).

 

PhD Students (Past and Present)

  • Adrian MacLeod (SAMS & UHI Millenium Institute).  Impact of marine renewable energy structures on the invasion and dispersal success of marine non-native species (2009 - 2012).
  • Coleen Suckling (British Antarctic Survey and SAMS).  Calcified marine invertebrates: The effects of ocean acidification (2008 - 2011).
  • Karin Boos (SAMS & AWI Institute, Germany - PhD Student).  Mechanisms of a successful immigration from north-east Asia: settlement dynamics, competitive ability and anti-predatory strategies of Caprella mutica Schurin 1935 in European coastal waters (2005 - 2008).
  • Richard Shucksmith (NERC CASE PhD Student).  Biological Invasions:  The role of biodiversity in determining community susceptibility to invasion (2004 – 2007).
  • Gail Ashton (NERC CASE PhD Student).  Distribution and dispersal of the non-native caprellid amphipod, Caprella mutica Schurin 1935 (2003-2006).

 

Other activities

  • UHI Millennium Institute Lecturer in Marine Biology, specialising in marine invasive species
  • Committee member of the Scottish Working Group on Invasive Non-native Species – Sustainable Development and Biodiversity Division of the Scottish Executive
  • Committee member of the Scottish Working Group on the invasive wireweed, Sargassum muticum
  • Committee member of the UK Working Group on the invasive tunicate, Didemnum vexillum
  • Editor for online journal ‘Aquatic Invasions’. Website: www.aquaticinvasions.ru


Publications

  1. Boos, K., Ashton, G.V., Cook, E.J. (submitted). The Japanese skeleton shrimp Caprella mutica  Schurin, 1935 (Crustacea, Amphipoda) in European coastal waters.  In Galil, B. and Clark, P.F. (eds.). Alien Crustacean. Springer.
  2. Jahnke, M., Cook, E.J., Minchin, D., Beveridge, C, Martinez de Lecea, A., Boos, K, Shucksmith, R, Ashton, G.V., Magill, S. (submitted). Influence of marina exposure on the abundance, size and population structure of the non-native amphipod Caprella mutica. Marine Biology.  
  3. Shucksmith, R., Cook, E.J., Hughes, D.J. & Burrows, M.T. (submitted).  Patch choice and structural preferences by the non-native amphipod Caprella mutica. JEMBE.
  4. Shucksmith, R., Cook E.J., Burrows, M.T., Hughes, D.J. (in revision).  Increasing structural diversity reduces competition and promotes coexistence between non-native and native caprellids.  Marine Biology
  5. Hughes, A.D., Cook, E.J., Orr, H., Kelly, M.S., Black, K.D. (2009).  Invertebrate grazers transfer and transform primary production.  Marine Biology.
  6. Ashton, G.V., Burrows, M.T., Willis, K.J., Cook, E.J. (2009). Seasonal population dynamics of non-native Caprella mutica (Crustacea, Amphipoda) on the west coast of Scotland.  Marine and Freshwater Research.
  7. Cook, E.J., Kelly, M.S. (2009). Co-culture of the sea urchin, Paracentrotus lividus and the edible mussel Mytilus edulis L., west coast of Scotland, UK.  Journal of Shellfish Research 28(3): 1-7.
  8. Reid, P.C., Cook, E.J., Edwards, M., McQuatters-Gollop, A., Minchin, D., McCollin, T., (2009). Marine non-native species IN Marine Climate Change Ecosystem Linkages Report Card 2009. (Editors Baxter, J.M., Buckley, P. G. and Frost, M.T.), Online Science Reviews, 29pp. www.mccip.org.uk/elr/non-natives
  9. Shucksmith, R., Cook, E.J., Hughes, D.J. & Burrows, M.T. (2009). Competition between the non-native amphipod Caprella mutica and two native species of caprellids Pseudoprotella phasma and Caprella linearis. JMBA 89 (6): 1125-1132.
  10. Fox, C., Harris, R., Sundby, S., Achterberg, E., Icarus Allen, J., Allen, J., Baker, A., Brussaard, C.P.D., Buckley, P., Cook E.J., Dye, S.R., Edwards, M., Fernand, L., Kershaw, P., Metcalfe, J., Osterhus, S., Potter, T., Sakshaug, E., Speird, D., Stenevik, E., St. John, M., Thingstad, F., Wilson, B. (2009). Trans-regional linkages in the North-East Atlantic – an ‘end-to-end’ analysis of pelagic ecosystems.  Annual Reviews in Marine Biology and Oceanography 47:1-76.
  11. Dias P. J., Sollelis L., Cook E.J, Piertney S. B., Davies I. M. and Snow M. (2008). Survey of Mytilus edulis complex species in Scotland using real-time PCR. JEMBE  367: 253-258.
  12. Ashton, G, Stevens, M.I., Hart, M.C., Green, D.H., Burrows, M, Cook, E.J., Willis, K.J. (2008). Mitochondrial DNA reveals multiple Northern Hemisphere introductions of Caprella mutica (Crustacea, Amphipoda). Molecular Ecology, 17: 1293-1303.

  13. Cook, EJ, G. Ashton, M. Campbell, A. Coutts, S. Gollasch, C. Hewitt, H. Liu, D. Minchin, G. Ruiz and R. Shucksmith(2008). Non-Native Aquaculture Species Releases: Implications for Aquatic Ecosystems. In: Aquaculture in the Ecosystem. M. Holmer, K. Black, C. M. Duarte, N. Marbà, I. Karakassis (eds). 155 – 184 pp. Springer. ISBN-13: 978-1-4020-6809-6Cook, E.J., Kelly, M.S (2007). Enhanced production of the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus in integrated open-water cultivation with Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Aquaculture. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2007.10.038

  14. Harries, D.B., Cook, E.J., Harrow, S., Wilson, J.R., Mair, J.M., Donnan, D.W. (2007). The establishment of the invasive alga Sargassum muticum on the west coast of Scotland: Rapid northwards spread and identification of potential new areas for colonisation. Aquatic Invasions (2) 4:367-377
  15. Cook, E.J., Jahnke, M., Kerckhof, F., Minchin, D., Faasse, M., Boos, K., Ashton, G.A. (2007). European distribution of the introduced amphipod, Caprella mutica (Schurin, 1935). Aquatic Invasions (2) 4: 411-421.
  16. Cook, E.J., Hughes, A.D., Orr, H., Kelly, M.S (2007). Influence of dietary protein on essential fatty acids in the gonadal tissue of the sea urchins  Paracentrotus lividusandPsammechinus miliaris (Echinodermata). Aquaculture. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.aquaculture.2007.10.032
  17. Ashton, G, Willis, K, Burrows, M, Cook, EJ (2007).Environmental tolerance of Caprella mutica: implications for its distribution as a non-native species. Marine Environmental Research 64: 305-312
  18. Cook, E.J. & Clark, P.F. (2007). Preface to Special Issue of Invasive Crustacea. Hydrobiologia 590: 1-2.
  19. Ashton, G.V., K.J. Willis & E.J. Cook (2007). Global Distribution of the Japanese Skeleton Shrimp, Caprella mutica (Crustacea, Amphipoda, Caprellidae) with a detailed account of the distribution in Scotland, U.K. Hydrobiologia 590: 31-41. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-007-0754-y
  20. Cook, E.J., Willis, K.J. andLozano-Fernandez, M.(2007). Survivorship, Growth and Reproduction of the Invasive Caprella mutica Schurin(Crustacea: Amphipoda). Hydrobiologia 590: 55-64. DOI: 10.1007/s10750-007-0757-8
  21. Liu H., M.S. Kelly, E.J. Cook, H. Orr, Zhu J. X., Dong, S.L (2007). The Effect of Diet Type on the Growth and Fatty-acid Profile of Sea Urchin Larvae I. Paracentrotus lividus. Aquaculture 264: 247-262
  22. Liu H., M.S. Kelly, E.J. Cook, H. Orr, Zhu J. X., Dong, S.L (2007). The Effect of Diet Type on the Growth and Fatty-acid Profile of Sea Urchin Larvae II. Psammechinus miliaris (Gmelin). Aquaculture 264: 263-278
  23. Cook, E.J. & M.S. Kelly (2007). Effect of variation in the protein content of the red macroalga, Palmaria palmata on the feeding and growth of the sea urchins, Psammechinus miliaris and Paracentrotus lividus (Echinodermata). Aquaculture 270:207-217
  24. Ashton, G., Boos, K., Shucksmith, R., Cook, E.J. (2006). Rapid assessment of the distribution of marine non-native species in marinas in Scotland. Aquatic Invasions 4: 209-213.
  25. Ashton, G., Boos, K., Shucksmith, R., Cook, E.J. (2006). Risk assessment of hull fouling as a vector for marine non-natives in Scotland. Aquatic Invasions 4: 214-218.
  26. Cook E.J.,K.D.Black, M.D.J. Sayer, C. Cromey, D. Angel, T. Katz, N. Eden,E. Spanier, I. Karakassis, M. Tsapakis & A. Malej (2006). Pan-European study on the influence of caged mariculture on the development of sub-littoral fouling communities. ICES Journal of Marine Science 63:637-649
  27. M.S. Kelly, A. Hughes and E. J. Cook (2006). The ecology of Psammechinus miliaris. In The Biology and Ecology of Edible Echinoid Species (2nd Edition, J. Lawrence, Editor). Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, pp. 287-296.
  28. Whitmarsh, D.J., E.J. Cook and K.D. Black (2006). Economic analysis of an integrated salmon-mussel aquaculture system. Marine Policy 30: 293-298. 
  29. Sayer, M.D.J., Cook, E.J., Wilson, C.M. and Barrington, J. (2005). Analysing dive computer profile integrations from incidents of suspected and actual decompression illness using cumulative nitrogen loading. Journal of the South Pacific Underwater Medicine Society 35, 59-66.
  30. Hughes, D.J., Cook, E.J. and Sayer, M.D.J. (2005). Biological filtration by marine invertebrates in association with the biofouling of artificial substrates. Annual Reviews in Marine Biology and Oceanography 43:123-172. CITED: 1
  31. Willis K.J., E.J. Cook and M. Lozano-Fernandez (2004). First record of the caprellid amphipod, Caprella mutica, for the U.K. JMBA 84: 1027-1028.
  32. Cook, E.J. and K.D. Black (2003). Early colonisation of biological filters suspended in waters adjacent to caged mariculture activity, west Scotland. Annales 13:17-20.
  33. Kelly MS, Cook EJ (2001). The ecology of Psammechinus miliaris. In Lawrence JM (ed) Edible sea urchins: biology and ecology. Vol 32, Elsevier, Amsterdam.
  34. Cook, E.J., M.V. Bell, K.D. Black and M.S.Kelly (2000).  Fatty acid composition of gonadal material and diets of the sea urchin, Psammechinus miliaris: Trophic and nutritional implications.  J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 255 (2) 261 - 274. 
  35. Cook, E.J., Kelly, M.S. and McKenzie, J.D. (1998). Somatic and gonadal growth in the sea urchin, P. miliaris fed on an artificial diet compared to a natural macroalgal diet. J. Shellfish Research 17: 1549 – 1555.

 

Government Report

  1. Cook, E.J. and Harries, D. (2007). Shellfishing with Sargassum: An assessment of the current distribution and potential control options for the introduced brown alga Sargassum muticum in Scotland.  Scottish Executive Report, pp 19.
  2. Cook, E.J. et al. (2005). The impact of non-native species. In: Ferris, R (ed). Research needs for UK Biodiversity. DEFRA, London, UK. pp. 26 – 30. http://www.jncc.gov.uk/pdf/BRAG_NNS_NonNativeSpeciesResearchStrategy.pdf
  3. Cook, E.J. and M.D.J. Sayer (2002). Sustainability of feed supplies – including research on plant meal substitution. In: Review and synthesis of the environmental impacts of Aquaculture (ed. K.D. Black). Commissioned by The Scottish Executive Central Research Unit. 42 pp


Educational and career history

BSc (Hons) Biology - Bristol University

MSc Marine Resource Management - Heriot Watt University

PhD (NERC) - Sea urchin aquaculture - SAMS & Napier University

SAMS
Scottish Marine Institute
Oban, Argyll, PA37 1QA

T: 01631 559000
F: 01631 559001
E: info@sams.ac.uk

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