Assistant Researcher

Education

• B.S.. 1991 - Zoology, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB
• M.S.. 1993 - Marine Science, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC
• Ph.D 2001 - Population Biology, University of California, Davis, CA

Research Interests

• Larval ecology and population structure of marine invertebrates
• Phylogeography and conservation genetics of coral reef animals
• Marine ornamental culture & aquarium science
   

Teaching Activities

• Annual Molecular Biology of Corals Workshop (Co-Instructor) - Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology; Coconut Island, Kaneohe, HI
• OCN750 - Advanced topics in Biological Oceanography seminar
• OCN750 / ZOO691 Advanced topics in Molecular Ecology seminar
• OCN750 - Professional development seminar for graduate students
• Guest lecturer for courses in Oceanography; Marine Biology, Zoology; Botany; Ecology, Evolution & Conservation Biology

Ten Selected Publications

Selkoe, K.A., B.S. Halpern & R.J. Toonen. Submitted. Will Monument status ameliorate Northwestern Hawaiian Islands’ worst threats? Science, in review.
Faucci, A., R.J. Toonen & M.G. Hadfield. Submitted. Ecological speciation in a coral-feeding nudibranch. Proceedings of the Royal Society, in review.
Concepcion, G., M. Medina & R.J. Toonen. 2006. Novel mtDNA intron primers from scleractinian corals. Molecular Ecology Notes, in press.
Selkoe, K.A. & R.J. Toonen. 2006. Microsatellites for Ecologists: A practical guide to using and evaluating microsatellite markers. Ecology Letters Reviews & Synthesis 9: 615-629.
Toonen, R.J., 2005. Foundations of gregariousness in barnacles. Journal of Experimental Biology 208: 1773-1774.
Toonen, R.J. & C.B. Wee. 2005. An experimental comparison of sediment-based biological filtration designs for recirculating aquarium systems. Aquaculture 250: 244- 255.
Toonen, R.J., M. Locke & R.K. Grosberg. 2004. Isolation and characterization of polymorphic microsatellite loci from the Dungeness crab, Cancer magister. Molecular Ecology Notes 4: 30-32.
Toonen, R.J. 2004. Genetic evidence of multiple paternity of broods in the intertidal crab, Petrolisthes cinctipes. Marine Ecology Progress Series 270: 259-263.
Toonen, R.J. & J.R. Pawlik. 2001. Foundations of gregariousness: A dispersal polymorphism among the planktonic larvae of a marine invertebrate. Evolution 55: 2439-2454.
Toonen, R.J. & J.R. Pawlik. 1994. Foundations of gregariousness. Nature 370: 511-512.