Scott Clayton Burgess
About
I am an evolutionary ecologist who studies marine ecosystems. I'm interested in how evolutionary and ecological processes shape variation in how marine organisms grow, reproduce, and disperse. I integrate genetic and demographic approaches to understand how marine metapopulations respond to environmental change, with the goal of identifying the factors that promote resilience or increase vulnerability. My work combines field and lab experiments with quantitative, population, and molecular genetics, as well as mathematical and statistical modelling.
Positions:
Associate Professor, Department of Biology, NTNU, Norway. 2026 - present
Associate Professor, Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, USA. 2020 - 2026
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Science, Florida State University, USA. 2014 - 2020
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, USA. 2011 - 2014
Education:
Ph.D, University of Queensland, Australia, 2011
BSc (Honors), James Cook Univeristy, Australia 2002
BSc, University of Sydney, Australia, 2000
Publications
For a complete and up-to-date list of publications, see Google Scholar.
Below are some selected publications.
2025
-
Powell, Jackson A.;
Burgess, Scott C..
(2025)
Differential effects of temperature on multiple components of fitness in a modular animal reveal how temperature affects reproductive capacity.
Functional Ecology
Academic article
-
Edmunds, Peter;
Cheh, Adrian;
Burgess, Scott.
(2025)
A physiological crisis drives the coral recruitment bottleneck.
Biology Letters
Academic article
2024
-
Peniston, Jimmy H.;
Burgess, Scott Clayton.
(2024)
Larval and Adult Traits Coevolve in Response to Asymmetric Coastal Currents to Shape Marine Dispersal Kernels.
The American Naturalist
Academic article
2022
-
Johnston, Erika C.;
Cunning, Ross;
Burgess, Scott C..
(2022)
Cophylogeny and specificity between cryptic coral species (
<i>Pocillopora</i>
spp.) at Mo′orea and their symbionts (Symbiodiniaceae).
Molecular Ecology
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Powell, Jackson;
Bueno, Marília.
(2022)
Dispersal, kin aggregation, and the fitness consequences of not spreading sibling larvae.
Ecology
Academic article
2021
-
Hooks, Alexandra P.;
Burgess, Scott Clayton.
(2021)
Behavioral Variability of Hatchlings Modifies Dispersal Potential in Crown Conch (<i>Melongena corona</i>): Why Do Larvae Crawl Away but Sometimes Swim?.
The Biological Bulletin
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Bueno, Marília.
(2021)
When does growth rate influence fitness in a colonial marine invertebrate?.
Marine Biology
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Bode, Michael;
Leis, Jeffrey M.;
Mason, Luciano B..
(2021)
Individual variation in marine larval‐fish swimming speed and the emergence of dispersal kernels.
Oikos
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Johnston, Erika C.;
Wyatt, Alex S. J.;
Leichter, James J.;
Edmunds, Peter J..
(2021)
Response diversity in corals: hidden differences in bleaching mortality among cryptic <i>Pocillopora</i> species.
Ecology
Academic article
2019
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Sander, Lisa;
Bueno, Marília.
(2019)
How relatedness between mates influences reproductive success: An experimental analysis of self‐fertilization and biparental inbreeding in a marine bryozoan.
Ecology and Evolution
Academic article
2018
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Snyder, Robin E.;
Rountree, Barry.
(2018)
Collective Dispersal Leads to Variance in Fitness and Maintains Offspring Size Variation within Marine Populations.
The American Naturalist
Academic article
2015
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Baskett, Marissa L.;
Grosberg, Richard K.;
Morgan, Steven G.;
Strathmann, Richard R..
(2015)
When is dispersal for dispersal? Unifying marine and terrestrial perspectives.
Biological Reviews
Academic article
2014
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Nickols, Kerry J.;
Griesemer, Chris D.;
Barnett, Lewis A. K.;
Dedrick, Allison G.;
Satterthwaite, Erin V.;
Yamane, Lauren;
Morgan, Steven G.;
White, J. Wilson;
Botsford, Louis W..
(2014)
Beyond connectivity: how empirical methods can quantify population persistence to improve marine protected‐area design.
Ecological Applications
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Marshall, Dustin J..
(2014)
Adaptive parental effects: the importance of estimating environmental predictability and offspring fitness appropriately.
Oikos
Academic article
2013
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Waples, Robin S.;
Baskett, Marissa L..
(2013)
Local Adaptation When Competition Depends on Phenotypic Similarity.
Evolution
Academic article
Journal publications
-
Powell, Jackson A.;
Burgess, Scott C..
(2025)
Differential effects of temperature on multiple components of fitness in a modular animal reveal how temperature affects reproductive capacity.
Functional Ecology
Academic article
-
Edmunds, Peter;
Cheh, Adrian;
Burgess, Scott.
(2025)
A physiological crisis drives the coral recruitment bottleneck.
Biology Letters
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Waples, Robin S.;
Baskett, Marissa L..
(2013)
Local Adaptation When Competition Depends on Phenotypic Similarity.
Evolution
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Snyder, Robin E.;
Rountree, Barry.
(2018)
Collective Dispersal Leads to Variance in Fitness and Maintains Offspring Size Variation within Marine Populations.
The American Naturalist
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Sander, Lisa;
Bueno, Marília.
(2019)
How relatedness between mates influences reproductive success: An experimental analysis of self‐fertilization and biparental inbreeding in a marine bryozoan.
Ecology and Evolution
Academic article
-
Hooks, Alexandra P.;
Burgess, Scott Clayton.
(2021)
Behavioral Variability of Hatchlings Modifies Dispersal Potential in Crown Conch (<i>Melongena corona</i>): Why Do Larvae Crawl Away but Sometimes Swim?.
The Biological Bulletin
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Bueno, Marília.
(2021)
When does growth rate influence fitness in a colonial marine invertebrate?.
Marine Biology
Academic article
-
Johnston, Erika C.;
Cunning, Ross;
Burgess, Scott C..
(2022)
Cophylogeny and specificity between cryptic coral species (
<i>Pocillopora</i>
spp.) at Mo′orea and their symbionts (Symbiodiniaceae).
Molecular Ecology
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Bode, Michael;
Leis, Jeffrey M.;
Mason, Luciano B..
(2021)
Individual variation in marine larval‐fish swimming speed and the emergence of dispersal kernels.
Oikos
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Powell, Jackson;
Bueno, Marília.
(2022)
Dispersal, kin aggregation, and the fitness consequences of not spreading sibling larvae.
Ecology
Academic article
-
Peniston, Jimmy H.;
Burgess, Scott Clayton.
(2024)
Larval and Adult Traits Coevolve in Response to Asymmetric Coastal Currents to Shape Marine Dispersal Kernels.
The American Naturalist
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott C.;
Johnston, Erika C.;
Wyatt, Alex S. J.;
Leichter, James J.;
Edmunds, Peter J..
(2021)
Response diversity in corals: hidden differences in bleaching mortality among cryptic <i>Pocillopora</i> species.
Ecology
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Baskett, Marissa L.;
Grosberg, Richard K.;
Morgan, Steven G.;
Strathmann, Richard R..
(2015)
When is dispersal for dispersal? Unifying marine and terrestrial perspectives.
Biological Reviews
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Nickols, Kerry J.;
Griesemer, Chris D.;
Barnett, Lewis A. K.;
Dedrick, Allison G.;
Satterthwaite, Erin V.;
Yamane, Lauren;
Morgan, Steven G.;
White, J. Wilson;
Botsford, Louis W..
(2014)
Beyond connectivity: how empirical methods can quantify population persistence to improve marine protected‐area design.
Ecological Applications
Academic article
-
Burgess, Scott Clayton;
Marshall, Dustin J..
(2014)
Adaptive parental effects: the importance of estimating environmental predictability and offspring fitness appropriately.
Oikos
Academic article