We quantify disturbance as substrate mobility—the interaction between fluid forcing and material strength—and test its role in structuring marine ecosystems. Using new methods to measure substrate strength and manipulate material properties in situ, we compare community assembly across a shared disturbance gradient in systems from rocky reefs to the deep sea. This work establishes a physically grounded, comparable measure of disturbance across marine environments.

We investigate how chemical weathering alters substrate strength and reshapes processes that structure marine communities. By linking ocean acidification to changes in material properties, we test whether weathering can mediate environmental change and guide ecosystem recovery. This work explores how modifying substrates can shift community assembly under future ocean conditions.

We apply the substrate mobility framework to design marine coatings that prevent biofouling by disrupting the conditions required for attachment. By engineering surfaces that maintain high effective disturbance at organism-relevant scales, we test whether fouling communities can be inhibited through physical design. This work translates ecological theory into practical strategies for managing biological growth on marine infrastructure.