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Meagan Mna Dunphy-Daly

Assistant Professor of the Practice in Experiential Education in the Division of Marine Science and Conservation
Marine Science and Conservation
Grainger Hall 4115, 9 Circuit Drive, Durham, NC 27710

Selected Publications


The Known and Unknown: Investigating the Carcinogenic Potential of Plastic Additives.

Journal Article Environ Sci Technol · June 18, 2024 Microplastics are routinely ingested and inhaled by humans and other organisms. Despite the frequency of plastic exposure, little is known about its health consequences. Of particular concern are plastic additives─chemical compounds that are intentionally ... Full text Link to item Cite

Inequitable distribution of plastic benefits and burdens on economies and public health

Journal Article Frontiers in Marine Science · January 10, 2023 Plastic heterogeneously affects social systems – notably human health and local and global economies. Here we discuss illustrative examples of the benefits and burdens of each stage of the plastic lifecycle (e.g., macroplastic production, consumption, recy ... Full text Cite

Voluntary commitments made by the world's largest companies focus on recycling and packaging over other actions to address the plastics crisis.

Journal Article One earth (Cambridge, Mass.) · November 2022 Plastic pollution has caused significant environmental and health challenges. Corporations that contribute to the make, use, and distribution of plastics can play a vital role in addressing global plastic pollution and many are committing to voluntary pled ... Full text Cite

A transdisciplinary approach to reducing global plastic pollution

Journal Article Frontiers in Marine Science · October 28, 2022 Full text Cite

Exploring the Diversity of the Marine Environment for New Anti-cancer Compounds

Journal Article Frontiers in Marine Science · January 21, 2021 Marine ecosystems contain over 80% of the world’s biodiversity, and many of these organisms have evolved unique adaptations enabling survival in diverse and challenging environments. The biodiversity within the world’s oceans is a virtually untapped resour ... Full text Cite

Plastic pollution solutions: emerging technologies to prevent and collectmarineplastic pollution.

Journal Article Environ Int · November 2020 As plastic waste accumulates in the ocean at alarming rates, the need for efficient and sustainable remediation solutions is urgent. One solution is the development and mobilization of technologies that either 1)prevent plastics from entering waterways or2 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Bioengineering a Future Free of Marine Plastic Waste

Journal Article Frontiers in Marine Science · October 11, 2019 Plastic waste has reached epidemic proportions worldwide, and the production of plastic continues to rise steadily. Plastic represents a diverse array of commonly used synthetic polymers that are extremely useful as durable, economically beneficial alterna ... Full text Cite

Lifting baselines to address the consequences of conservation success.

Journal Article Trends in ecology & evolution · June 2015 Biologists and policymakers are accustomed to managing species in decline, but for the first time in generations they are also encountering recovering populations of ocean predators. Many citizens perceive these species as invaders and conflicts are increa ... Full text Cite

Apparent resource partitioning and trophic structure of large-bodied marine predators in a relatively pristine seagrass ecosystem

Journal Article Marine Ecology Progress Series · May 7, 2013 Large predators often play important roles in structuring marine communities. To understand the role that these predators play in ecosystems, it is crucial to have knowledge of their interactions and the degree to which their trophic roles are complementar ... Full text Cite

The Marine Mammal Protection Act at 40: status, recovery, and future of U.S. marine mammals.

Journal Article Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences · May 2013 Passed in 1972, the Marine Mammal Protection Act has two fundamental objectives: to maintain U.S. marine mammal stocks at their optimum sustainable populations and to uphold their ecological role in the ocean. The current status of many marine mammal popul ... Full text Cite

Predation risk influences the diving behavior of a marine mesopredator

Journal Article Open Ecology Journal · December 1, 2010 Exploring factors that influence diving behavior is critical to understanding energy budgets, habitat use, and exploitation rates of prey. Optimal diving behavior studies have focused primarily on trade-offs between oxygen recovery at the surface and energ ... Full text Cite

Physical factors influencing the distribution of a top predator in a subtropical oligotrophic estuary

Journal Article Limnology and Oceanography · January 1, 2009 We used longline fishing to determine the effects of distance from the ocean, season, and short-term variation in abiotic conditions on the abundance of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in an estuary of the Florida Everglades, U.S.A. Logistic reg ... Full text Cite

Temporal variation in dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima) habitat use and group size off Great Abaco Island, Bahamas

Journal Article Marine Mammal Science · January 1, 2008 Dwarf sperm whales (Kogia sima) are among the most commonly stranded yet least known pelagic cetaceans. Few studies have occurred at sea, and none have quantified temporal and spatial variation in dwarf sperm whale abundance and group size. We assessed sea ... Full text Cite

Survey of Aedes triseriatus (Diptera: Culicidae) for Lacrosse encephalitis virus and West Nile virus in Lorain County, Ohio.

Journal Article Journal of medical entomology · May 2006 From June through September 2003, we conducted a survey of female Aedes triseriatus (Say) for infection with La Crosse encephalitis virus (family Bunyaviridae, genus Orthobunyavirus, LACV) and West Nile virus (family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus, WNV) at ... Full text Cite