Jessie C. Jarvis
Professor
Dr. Jarvis is a Professor in the UNCW Department of Biology and Marine Biology and the Principal Investigator for the Coastal Plant Ecology Lab. Prior to joining the faculty of the University of North Carolina Wilmington in the fall of 2015, Dr. Jarvis worked as a Senior Research Scientist for the Centre for Tropical Water & Aquatic Ecosystem Research at James Cook University in Cairns Queensland Australia. She has also served as an Assistant Professor of Marine Science at Stockton University in New Jersey and as a Research Marine Biologist at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Environmental Laboratory, in Vicksburg, MS. Over her career Dr. Jarvis has been involved with management an conservation of seagrass ecosystems, large-scale restoration of submerged aquatic vegetation in the Chesapeake Bay, mapping and quantifying impacts of dredging on seagrasses along the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, and investigating the impacts of sediment accretion on restoration efforts in the Louisiana Coastal Area. Overall, Dr. Jarvis’s research focuses on the ecology of estuarine and coastal shallow water environments vegetated with seagrasses and other submersed aquatic vegetation. Specifically, she is interested in relationships between aquatic macrophyte systems and environmental factors, including water quality conditions, which limit their growth, reproduction, survival, and restoration.
Education
Ph.D. in Marine Science, College of William & Mary
M.S. in Marine Science, College of William & Mary
B.S. in Biology, Chowan University
Specialization in Teaching
Dr. Jarvis teaches a range of courses in the Biology and Marine Biology curriculum including BIO 202: Principles of Biology Biodiversity, BIO 340 Plant Physiology and BIO 412 Marine Botany.
Research Interests
Dr Jarvis's research focuses on the ecology of estuarine and coastal shallow water environments vegetated with seagrasses and other submersed aquatic vegetation. She is interested in relationships between seagrass populations and environmental factors, including water quality conditions, which limit their growth, reproduction, survival, resilience to disturbance, and restoration. Specifically, her work focuses on the role of sexual reproduction in response to stressors and how variations in life history strategies over spatial and temporal scales. Her recent work has focused on seed bank dynamics, seed bank viability, and their role in large scale patterns of resilience in shallow coastal lagoons.
Other research interests include ecological modelling, remote sensing of coastal seagrass ecosystems, and water quality monitoring.
Professional Service
President, Atlantic Estuarine Research Society, 2024
Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Governing Board Member, 2023-Present
Past President, World Seagrass Association
UNCW Department of Biology and Marine Biology Undergraduate Coordinator
UNCW University Curriculum Committee Co-Chair, 2024
College of Science and Engineering Curriculum Committee Co-Chair, 2023
UNCW Coastal and Marine Science Council, Vice-Chair, 2020
Community Engagement
East Coast SAV Collaborative Co-Founder and Co-Lead
Albemarle Pamlico Sound National Estuary Partnership (APNEP) High Salinity Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Sub-Committee Co-Lead
Scientific Committee on Ocean Research (SCOR) C-GRASS: Coordinated Global Research Assessment Of Seagrass Systems – Workgroup Member
Pew Charitable Trusts National coordination Alliance for Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Enhancement (NC A-SAVE) – Workgroup Member, 2020-2022
UN Environment Programme/ GRID-Arendal International Seagrass Experts Network, Steering Committee, 2019 – 2020
Barnegat Bay Partnership (EPA National Estuary Program), Barnegat Bay Seagrass Restoration Technical Advisory Group – Member, 2018 –2020
UN Environment Programme/ Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals Dugong MOU Technical Group, Seagrass Advisor, 2017 – 2021
North Carolina Division of Environmental Quality Nutrient Criteria Development Plan – Scientific Advisory Council, 2019 – 2024
Honors & Awards
UNCW James F. Merritt Million Dollar Club
Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation Recognition of Service and Leadership
Chowan University Distinguished Alumni