John Bruno, Ph.D. 
Professor, Department of Biology, College of Arts and Sciences | UNC-Chapel Hill
Raleigh-Durham, NC, UNITED STATES
His research is focused on marine biodiversity, coral reef ecology and conservation, and the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.
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Biography
John Bruno is a Marine Ecologist and Professor of Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill. His research is focused on marine biodiversity, coral reef ecology and conservation, and the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems.
His lab primarily focuses on the Caribbean -- including Belize, the Bahamas and Cuba -- but also does work in coastal North Carolina and Ecuador on applied wetland projects and in shallow subtidal habitats in the Galapagos Islands. He is also a science communicator and co-developer of the oceans web site SeaMonster (www.theseamonster.net).
Areas of Expertise (5)
Marine Biodiversity
Coral Reef Ecology
Coral Reef Conservation
Impacs of Climate Change on Marine Ecosystems
Coastal Wetland Communities
Accomplishments (2)
Visiting Professorship (professional)
University of Sassari, Italy, 2019
Most highly cited/impactful researchers list (professional)
Clarivate World, 2017, 2018
Education (3)
Brown University: Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 2000
California State University, Northridge: M.S., Biology 1995
Northeastern University: B.S., Biology 1991
Links (8)
- Bruno Lab Web site
- The Washington Post opinion piece: "How to save the ‘tropical rainforests’ of the ocean"
- New York Times opinion piece: "My Depressing Summers in Belize"
- Isolated coral reefs far from human activity are not healthier
- SeaMonster : Ocean Science Sports and Discovery
- Bruno Google Scholar page (publications)
- Feature: Students examine seafood mislabeling in pilot research-intensive course
- Troubled Waters (Endeavors research feature 2012)
Media Appearances (9)
How to save the ‘tropical rainforests’ of the ocean
The Washington Post print
January 9, 2018
Are local efforts to save coral reefs bound to fail?
The Guardian online
2016-08-02
“Coral reef degradation is not correlated with local human population density,” by Professor John Bruno and co-author Abel Valdivia of the University of North Carolina was published on 20 July. It suggests that contrary to prevailing scientific opinion, local pressures do not act synchronously with global stressors (most notably warming) and that their impact on reefs is negligible.
Local Efforts to Save Coral Reefs May Be Futile
Climate Central online
2016-07-21
Corals in remote and relatively pristine reefs fare little better overall amid global warming than those growing alongside heavily populated coastlines, according to research published Wednesday. The new paper, published in Nature’s Scientific Reports by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, reinvigorated debate among reef scientists over whether local safeguards and programs could save some of the world’s most spectacular and crucial ecosystems from being wiped out.
Coral reefs are stressed far from human activity
Seeker online
2016-07-20
The outlook for the world's coral reefs "keeps getting gloomier," according to the authors of a new study which shows that reefs far from human settlements are no healthier than those in more densely populated areas. The study shows, say its authors, that climate change, not localized impacts associated with human population in coastal areas, is the primary driver behind global coral degradation.
Climate scientists have warned us of coral bleaching for years. It's here
The Guardian online
2016-06-10
I asked coral-reef expert John Bruno about this new study and he provided some excellent insights. He told me that this bleaching event is getting a lot of attention because it is the Great Barrier Reef – an iconic place that is close to pristine. It has also escaped the fate of most of the world’s reefs. But, within the scientific community, this bleaching isn’t a surprise. Dr. Bruno told me: "We’ve been witnessing this sort of event for over 30 years. In fact, the Australians have been warning the rest of the world that if we managed our reefs better, we wouldn’t see so many bleaching events. A very influential paper published in Science in 2003 hypothesized that mass coral mortality events and subsequent population decline only happen where and when fishes have been over-harvested and pollution has weakened the corals and encouraged seaweed growth."
Warming oceans could spell disaster for coral reefs
CBS News online
2015-02-18
UNC professor John Bruno, who currently is studying the impact of overfishing on Caribbean reefs, said the projection wasn't surprising given that 2014 was found to be the hottest year in the modern record. He fears especially for reefs that had recovered from previous events like those in the Seychelles. "All those places that have recovered will be right back where they were 15 to 20 years," Bruno said. "The concern with global warming is that if we start seeing bleaching events every three years or every five years we wont start see any recovery."...
North Carolina to Sea Level Rise: Go Away
Discovery News online
2012-06-15
The problem with all of this, of course, is that predictions of future sea-level rise are neither linear nor consistent with historic trends, as John Bruno of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill points out in a post on his blog, Sea Monster. Bruno notes that “sea level fluctuates naturally by 10s to 100s of meters but has been relatively stable for the last few thousand years,” that “greenhouse gas emissions are causing sea level to rise via ‘thermal expansion’ (warming a liquid increases its volume) and by melting mountain glaciers,” and that “the rate of sea level rise appears to be accelerating, i.e., non-linear”...
Making headway in the movement to protect the world's sharks
The New York Times print
Sept. 10, 2011 Many marine biologists support tougher regulation of shark fishing itself. “These bans go part way, but you’re still allowed to fish sharks without a permit,” said John Bruno, a marine ecologist at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “In North Carolina, there are shark derbies for fun, where they are hung by their tails. We think it’s O.K. to do that with this ocean predator, but we wouldn’t dream of doing it to a terrestrial animal like a bear.”
Articles (6)
Some recent articles
by John Bruno*denotes graduate student co-author, †undergraduate student co-author Bruno, J.F., I.M. Côte, and L.T. Toth. 2018. Climate change, coral loss, and the curious case of the parrotfish paradigm: Why don't MPAs improve reef resilience? Annual Review of Marine Science In Press Gin, L.E. †, A. Rowland*, B. Steinwand, J. Bruno, L. A. Corwin. 2018. Students who fail to achieve pre-defined research goals may still experience numerous positive outcomes as a result of CURE participation. CBE—Life Sciences Education In Press Carr, L.A.* , R.K.* Gittman and J.F. Bruno. 2018. Temperature influences herbivory and algal biomass in the Galápagos Islands. Frontiers in Marine Science Bruno, J. F., A. E. Bates, C. Cacciapaglia, E. P. Pike, S. Amstrup, R. van Hooidonk, S. A. Henson, and R. B. Aronson. 2018. Climate change threatens the world's marine protected areas. Nature Climate Change Bruno, J. F., W. Saumweber, L. B. Crowder, L. Pendleton, S. E. Roady, T. Rouleau, M. Sakashita. 2018. Safe harbors: The many benefits of marine sanctuaries and monuments. Frontiers in Marine Science
Coral reef degradation is not correlated with local human population density
Scientific Reports, a Nature journal2016-07-20
The global decline of reef-building corals is understood to be due to a combination of local and global stressors. However, many reef scientists assume that local factors predominate and that isolated reefs, far from human activities, are generally healthier and more resilient. Here we show that coral reef degradation is not correlated with human population density.
Prey naiveté to invasive lionfish Pterois volitans on Caribbean coral reefs
Marine Ecology Progress Series2/18/2016 Native prey can be particularly vulnerable to consumption by exotic predators. Prey naiveté, the failure to recognize a novel predator due to lack of recent co-evolutionary history, likely facilitates the disproportionate impact that some exotic predators exert on prey populations. Lionfish Pterois volitans, exotic predators from the Pacific, have invaded coral reefs and other coastal habitats along the western Atlantic.
Living shorelines can enhance the nursery role of threatened estuarine habitats
Ecological Applications1/1/2016 Coastal ecosystems provide numerous services, such as nutrient cycling, climate change amelioration, and habitat provision for commercially valuable organisms. Ecosystem functions and processes are modified by human activities locally and globally, with degradation of coastal ecosystems by development and climate change occurring at unprecedented rates. The demand for coastal defense strategies against storms and sea- level rise has increased with human population growth and development along coastlines ...
16 Impacts of invasive species on coral reef fishes
Ecology of Fishes on Coral Reefs4/23/2015 Non-indigenous species are found in most marine regions of the world, but relatively few have been reported on coral reefs. The majority of known reef invaders are fishes, probably because this group is well known and often monitored in coral habitats. There is little information on the repercussions of invasive invertebrates or algae on reef fish.
Exploring the role of temperature in the ocean through metabolic scaling
Ecology12/1/2015 Temperature imposes a constraint on the rates and outcomes of ecological processes that determine community-and ecosystem-level patterns. The application of metabolic scaling theory has advanced our understanding of the influence of temperature on pattern and process in marine communities. Metabolic scaling theory uses the fundamental and ubiquitous patterns of temperature-dependent metabolism to predict how environmental temperature influences patterns and processes at higher levels of biological organization. ...
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