Erika Johnston

Postdoctoral Associate

My Research

I am interested in uncovering mechanisms that drive speciation in reef corals. To do this, I use genomic data to identify divergent populations and cryptic species of both the coral host and symbiotic algae, coupled with ecological, reproductive, demographic data, etc., to understand niche differences in the coral holobiont across space and time. 

Education and Experience

Postdoc – Hawai‘i Institute of Marine Biology – Coral reproduction and bioinformatics, current

Postdoc – Florida State University – Understanding how cryptic Pocillopora species contribute to coral community resilience at Mo’orea, French Polynesia, 2019 – 2022

PhD – University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa – Marine Biology, 2013 – 2019 

BS – Appalachian State University – Ecology and Evolution, 2009 – 2011

BA – Appalachian State University – Cultural Anthropology, 2004 – 2008

Publications

Burgess S, Turner A, Johnston EC. 2024. Niche breadth and divergence in sympatric cryptic coral species (Pocilloporaspp.) across habitats within reefs and among algal symbionts. Evolutionary Applications (17): e13762. https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.13762

Caldwell IR, Hobbs J-PA, Bowen BW, Cowman PF, DiBattista JD, Whitney JL, Ahti PA, Belderok R, Canfield S, Coleman RR, Iacchei M, Johnston EC, Knapp I, Nalley EM, Staeudle TM, Láruson ÁJ. 2024. Global trends and biases in biodiversity conservation research. Cell Reports Sustainability 1(5): 100082 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crsus.2024.100082

Johnston EC, Caruso C, Mujica E, Walker NS, Drury C. 2024. Complex parental effects impact variation in larval thermal tolerance in a vertically transmitting coral. Heredity 132(6): 275-283. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41437-024-00681-6

Johnston EC, Burgess SC. 2023. Pocillopora tuahiniensis: a new species of scleractinian coral (Scleractinia, Pocilloporidae) from French Polynesia. Zootaxa 5369(1): 117-124. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5369.1.5

Johnston EC, Cunning R, Burgess SC. 2022. Cophylogeny and specificity between cryptic coral species (Pocilloporaspp.) at Mo’orea and their symbionts (Symbiodiniaceae). Molecular Ecology 31(20): 5368-5385. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.16654

Knapp ISS, Forsman ZH, Greene A, Johnston EC, Bardin CE, Chan N, Wolke C, Gulko D, Toonen RJ. 2022. Coral micro-fragmentation assays for optimizing active reef restoration efforts. PeerJ 10:e13653. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.13653

Johnston EC, Wyatt ASJ, Leichter JJ, Burgess SC. 2022. Niche differences in co-occurring cryptic coral species (Pocillopora spp.). Coral Reefs 41: 767-778. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-021-02107-9

Burgess SC, Johnston EC, Wyatt ASJ, Leichter JJ, Edmunds PJ. 2021. Response diversity in corals: hidden differences in bleaching mortality among cryptic Pocillopora species. Ecology E03324. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3324

Johnston EC, Counsell CWW, Sale TL, Burgess SC, Toonen RJ. 2020. The legacy of stress- Coral bleaching impacts reproduction years later. Functional Ecology 34(11): 2315-2325. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.13653

Bowen BW, Forsman ZH, Whitney JL, Faucci A, Hoban M, Canfield SJ, Johnston EC, Coleman RC, Copus JM, Vicente J, Toonen RJ. 2020. Species radiations in the sea: What the flock?  Journal of Heredity esz075. https://doi.org/10.1093/jhered/esz075

Counsell CWW, Johnston EC, Sale TL.  2019. Colony size and depth affect  time for wound repair in a branching coral. Marine Biology 166(148). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-019-3601-6

Johnston EC, Forsman ZH, Toonen RJ. 2018. A simple molecular technique for distinguishing species reveals frequent misidentification of Hawaiian corals in the genus Pocillopora. PeerJ 6:e4355. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4355

Johnston EC, Forsman ZH, Toonen RJ. 2017. Plasticity or chimerism? Color polymorphism in Montipora verrilli / M. patula. Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies 19:33-24. https://doi.org/10.3755/galaxea.19.1_33

Johnston EC, Forsman ZH, Flot J-F, Schmidt-Roach S, Pinzón JH, Knapp ISS, Toonen RJ. 2017. A genomic glance through the fog of plasticity and diversification in Pocillopora. Scientific Reports 7: 5991. https://10.1038/s41598-017-06085-3.

Edmunds PJ, Leichter JJ, Johnston EC, Tong EJ, Toonen RJ. 2016. Ecological and genetic variation in reef-building corals on four Society Islands. Limnology and Oceanography 61(2): 543-557. https://doi.org/10.1002/lno.10231

Hagedorn M, Farrell A, Carter V, Zuchowicz N, Johnston EC, Padilla-Gamiño J, Gunasekera S, Paul V. 2015. Effects of Toxic Compounds in Montipora capitata on exogenous and endogenous zooxanthellae performance and fertilization success. PLoS ONE 10(2): e0118364. https://10.1371/journal.pone.0118364

Schmidt-Roach S, Johnston EC, Fontana S, Jury C, Forsman Z. 2014. Daytime spawning of Pocillopora species in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaiʻi. Galaxea, Journal of Coral Reef Studies 16: 11-12. https://doi.org/10.3755/galaxea.16.11

Forsman ZH, Johnston EC, Brooks AJ, Adam TC, and RJ Toonen. 2013. Genetic evidence for regional isolation of Pocillopora corals from Moorea. Oceanography 26(3): 153–155. http://doi.org/10.5670/oceanog.2013.58