Congratulations to Phycology Lab student Paul Tompkins, who will be defending his thesis this Tursday, May 19th, at noon.  Paul’s thesis is entitled “Distribution, Growth, and Disturbance of Catalina Island Rhodoliths.”  What’s a rhodolith, you ask?  If you can’t come hear the scoop on Thursday, check out these photos belows, or browse around the Drop-In:

Unlike most seaweeds, rhodoliths are algae that have a hard skeleton made out of calcium carbonate.  The structure of a rhodolith bed creates a habitat for many types of organisms, like a mini coral reef or kelp forest.  Beds like the one shown below were the subject of Paul’s thesis.