Expertise:
Coral demographic dynamics, local anthropogenic and climate change impacts on coral reef, seagrass, reef fish and littoral communities, conservation of endangered coral species, disturbed coral reef recovery dynamics, coral propagation and reef ecological restoration, invasive and nuisance species in coral reef and seagrass dynamics, connectivity between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, fish community dynamics and marine reserves design and effectiveness, climate modeling and the future of coral reefs and caribbean paleo-climate.
Ongoing projects:
- Current conservation status and recovery of endangered pillar coral (Dendrogyra cylindrus), elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata), and staghorn coral (Acropora cervicornis) following the 2023 and 2024 coral bleaching and mortality events.
- Status of natural recovery of coral reefs following coral bleaching and mortality through coral recruitment
- Projections of the impact of extreme heat on coral reef conservation in the Caribbean
- Changes in community structure and ecological roles of coral reef fishes as a consequence of the impact of climate change and other anthropogenic factors
- Long-term changes in benthic community structure and functional roles of coral reef fishes as a consequence of the impact of climate change and other anthropogenic factors Long-term changes in benthic community structure and functional roles of coral reef fishes as a consequence of climate change and other anthropogenic factors community structure and functional roles of corals on reefs
- Development of new strategies for ecological restoration of coral reefs in the face of climate change challenges
- Demographic performance of restored corals under different environmental scenarios
- Coral restoration on degraded urban shallow reefs
- Impacts of the invasive Indian Ocean seagrass (Halophila stipulacea) on native seagrass communities, invertebrates and fish
- Impacts of invasive pulse coral (Xenia umbellata) on coral, invertebrate and fish communities
- Spatiotemporal variability in coastal water quality and its impacts on marine resource conservation
Links:
- https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sz–iRkAAAAJ
- http://upr.academia.edu/EdwinHernandez
- http://www.researchgate.net/profile/Edwin_Hernandez2
- https://eahernandezdelgado.weebly.com
- http://orcid.org/0000-0002-5504-2545
Contact information: edwin.hernandez13@upr.edu