Benjamin M. Titus
Gerstner’s Scholar & Lerner Gray Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Division of Invertebrate Zoology
The American Museum of Natural History
bentitus3@gmail.com
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Education
Ph.D. Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology: The Ohio State University (2017).
M.Sc. Marine Biology: Auburn University, Auburn, AL (2011).
B.S. Ecology (with Distinction) Otterbein University, Westerville, OH (2008).
Professional Appointments
2018-present Gerstner Scholar & Lerner Gray Postdoctoral Fellow, AMNH
2017 University Presidential Fellow, The Ohio State University
2012-2016 Graduate Teaching Assistant, The Ohio State University
2015 Graduate Research Associate, The Ohio State University
2013 Research staff, Operation Wallacea
2011 Coral aquaculture associate, Reef Systems Coral Farm, Inc.
2008-2011 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Auburn University
Publications
Undergraduate trainees of BT are underlined; *denotes shared first authorship
19) Rose, A*., Titus, B.M., Romain, J.J.*, Vondriska*, C.V. Exton, D.A., (In Review) Two for the price of one: single-client multi-cleaner species interactions on Caribbean coral reefs.
18) Romain, J.J., Exton, D.A., Smith, D.J., Rose, A.., Vondriska, C.V., Titus, B.M. (In Review) Fine-scale patterns of cleaning activity by Pederson’s cleaner shrimp, Ancylomenes pedersoni across ecologically disjunct reef habitats.
17) Titus, BM, Laroche, R*., Rodriguez, E., Wirshing, H., Meyer, C.P. (2020) Host identity and symbiotic association affects the taxonomic and functional diversity of the clownfish-hosting sea anemone microbiome. Biology Letters 16, 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2019.0738
16) Titus, B.M., Blishak, P., Daly, M (2019). Genomic signatures of sympatric speciation with historical and contemporary gene flow in a tropical anthozoan (Anthozoa: Actiniaria). In Press at Molecular Ecology (Biorxiv preprint, 399360, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/399360)
(15) Titus, BM, Benedict, C., Laroche, R. Gusmao, LC, Van Deusen, V., Chiodo, T., Meyer, CP, Berumen, ML, Bartholomew, A., Yanagi, K., Reimer, JD, Fujii, T., Daly, M., Rodriguez, E. (2019) Phylogenetic relationships of the clownfish-hosting sea anemones. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 139, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ympev.2019.10652
(14) Titus, B.M, Daly, M., Vondriska, C., Hamilton, I., Exton D.A. (2019) Lack of strategic service provisioning by Pederson’s cleaner shrimp (Ancylomenes pedersoni) highlights independent evolution of cleaning behaviors between ocean basins. Scientific Reports. 9:629, doi:10.1038/s41598-018-37418-5
(13) O’Reilly, E.*, Titus, B.M.*, Nelsen, M.W., Ratchford, S., Chadwick, N.E. (2019) Giant ephemeral anemones? Rapid growth and high mortality in the corkscrew sea anemone Bartholomea annulata under a variety of conditions. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, 509: 44-53.
(12) Titus, B.M., Daly, M. (2018) Reduced representation sequencing for symbiotic anthozoans: are reference genomes necessary to eliminate endosymbiont contamination and make robust phylogeographic inference? Biorxiv preprint, 440289, doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/440289
(11) Titus, B.M., Daly, M, Hamilton, N., Beruman, M., Baeza, J.A. (2018) Global species delimitation and phylogeography of the circumtropical “sexy shrimp” Thor amboinensis reveals a cryptic species complex and secondary contact in the Indo-West Pacific. Journal of Biogeography 45, 1275-1287.
(10) Titus, B.M., Daly, M. (2017) Phylogeographic reconstruction reveals extensive cryptic diversity in a common symbiosis from the Tropical Western Atlantic. Reef Encounter 32: 20-24.
(9) Titus, B.M., Palombit, S., Daly, M. (2017) Endemic diversification in an isolated archipelago with few endemics: an example from a cleaner shrimp species complex in the Tropical Western Atlantic. Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society 122: 98-112. doi:10.1093/biolinnean/blx039
(8) Titus, B.M. Vondriska, C., Daly, M. (2017) Comparative behavioral observations demonstrate the spotted “cleaner” shrimp Periclimenes yucatanicus engages in true symbiotic cleaning interactions. Royal Society Open Science 4:170078
(7) Titus, B.M., Daly, M, Macrander, J., Del Rio, A., Santos, S.R., Chadwick, N.E. (2017) Contrasting abundance and contribution of clonal proliferation to the population structure of the corkscrew sea anemone Bartholomea annulata in the tropical Western Atlantic. Invertebrate Biology. 136: 62-74.
(6) Titus, B.M., Daly M. (2017) Specialist and generalist symbionts show counterintuitive levels of genetic diversity and discordant demographic histories along the Florida Reef Tract. Coral Reefs. 36:339-354 doi:10.1007/s00388-016-1515-z
(5) Titus, B.M. Daly, M., Exton, D. (2015) Temporal patterns of reef fish cleaning behavior at anemone-shrimp cleaning stations on Caribbean coral reefs. Marine Biology. 162: 1651-1664.
(4) Titus, B.M. Daly, M., Exton, D. (2015) Do reef fish habituate to diver presence? Evidence from two reef sites with contrasting historical levels of SCUBA intensity in the Bay Islands, Honduras. PLOS ONE. 10(3): e0119645. doi:10.1371/ journal.pone.0119645.
(3) Titus, B.M., Daly, M. (2014) Fine-scale phylogeography reveals cryptic biodiversity in Pederson’s cleaner shrimp, Ancylomenes pedersoni (Crustacea: Caridea: Palaemonidae), along the Florida Reef Tract. Marine Ecology. Accepted 9/1/2014. doi: 10.1111/maec.12237
(2) Huebner, L.K., Dailey, B., Titus, B.M., Khalaf, M., Chadwick, N.E. (2012). Host preference and habitat segregation among Red Sea anemonefish: effects of sea anemone traits and fish life stages. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 464: 1-15. Feature cover article
(1) Lescinsky, H., Titus, B.M., Hubbard, D. (2012). Live coral cover in the fossil record: an example from Holocene reefs of the Dominican Republic. Coral Reefs. 31 (2): 335-346.
FUNDING ($1,200,000 in competitive awards)
FEDERAL & STATE GRANTS
2020-present Lead PI, National Science Foundation, DEB-SBS, PURSUIT: Finding Nemo’s home: systematics and species delimitation of the clownfish-hosting sea anemones. (Co-PI: Estefania Rodriguez). DEB-1934274 [$740,000]
2016-2017 National Science Foundation, Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant, DEB1601645. [$19,897]
2015-2017 Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission [$35,000]
FELLOWSHIPS
2020- European Union Marie Sklodoska-Curie Individual Fellowship. ANEMONE: Evolving a home for Nemo: Genomic consequences and convergence in a model marine mutualism. Project in collaboration with Dr. Nicolas Salamin at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland [€200,000].
2018- Gerstner Scholar & Lerner Gray Postdoctoral Fellow, Division of Invertebrate Zoology, American Museum of Natural History (NY, USA) [$145,000]
2017 Presidential Fellowship, The Ohio State University [$27,312]
SMALL GRANTS & AWARDS
2017 Marine and Aquarium Society of North America, Graduate Fellowship [$4,000]
2016 Osburn Scholarship for Excellence in Research, The Ohio State University [$1,500]
2015 Lewis & Clark Field Exploration Grant, American Philosophical Society [$1,500]
2015 PADI Foundation Grant [$4688]
2015 International Society for Reef Studies, Graduate Fellowship [$2,500]
2015 Open Access Grant, The Ohio State University [$1,000]
2014 Tinker Field Research Grant, The Ohio State University [$1,500]
2013 Lerner Gray Fund for Marine Research, American Museum of Natural History [$2,000]
2013 Operation Wallacea (UK) PhD Research Fellowship [$5,000]
2012 SciFund Challenge [$800]
2010 PADI Foundation Grant [$4,170]
2010 Graduate Student Travel Award, Auburn University [$500]
2008 Student Research Fund, Otterbein University [$1,000]
2008 Dr. George H. Phinney Endowed Award for academic performance and research, Otterbein University [$500]
RECENT PRESENTATIONS (last 5 years)
INVITED SEMINARS
2020 Titus, B.M. Invited Seminar, University of Tampa, FL, USA
2020 Titus, B.M. Invited Seminar, Stetson University, FL, USA
2019 Titus, B.M. Invited Seminar, Fairfield University, CT, USA
2019 Titus, B.M. Invited Seminar, Fordham University, NY, USA
2019 Titus, B.M. Invited Speaker, Marine Aquarium Conference of North America, Orlando, FL, USA
2019 Titus, B.M. Invited Seminar, American Museum of Natural History, NY, USA
2018 Titus, B.M. Invited seminar. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C., USA
2013 Titus, B.M. Invited seminar Otterbein University, OH, USA2013 Titus, B.M. Invited seminar Operation Wallacea, Honduras
CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
2019 Titus, B.M., Rodriguez, E. Molecular species delimitation of the clownfish hosting sea anemones: are there really only 10 host species? Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Meeting, Tampa, FL.
2018 Titus, B.M., Daly, M. Gulf Stream formation drives allopatric speciation, secondary contact, and hybrid speciation in a cleaner shrimp species complex. Society of Systematic Biologists (SSB) Standalone Meeting, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
2016 Titus, B.M, Daly, M. Comparative phylogeograpy in a multi-level sea anemone symbiosis: effects of host specificity on patterns of co-diversification and genetic biodiversity. 13th International Coral Reef Symposium, Honolulu, HI, USA2015 Titus, B.M., Daly, M. Comparative phylogeograpy in a multi-level sea anemone symbiosis: effects of host specificity on patterns of co-diversification and genetic biodiversity. 44th Benthic Ecology Meeting, Quebec, Canada
POSTER PRESENTATIONS
2019 Benedict, C., Titus, B.M., Laroche. R., Gusmao, LC, Van Deusen, V., Chiodo, T., Meyer, CP, Berumen, ML, Bartholomew, A., Yanagi, K., Reimer, JD, Fujii, T., Daly, M., Rodriguez, E. Phylogenetic relationships among the clownfish hosting sea anemones. Evolution, Providence, RI
2019 Benedict, C., Titus, B.M., Laroche. R., Gusmao, LC, Van Deusen, V., Chiodo, T., Meyer, CP, Berumen, ML, Bartholomew, A., Yanagi, K., Reimer, JD, Fujii, T., Daly, M., Rodriguez, E. Phylogenetic relationships among the clownfish hosting sea anemones. Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Meeting, Tampa, FL. Poster presentation
2019 Laroche, R., Titus, B.M., Benedict C., Meyer, C., Rodriguez, E. Exploring the clownfish sea anemone microbiome across host and habitat. Society for 5 Integrative and Comparative Biology (SICB) Meeting, Tampa, FL. Poster presentation
2018 Titus, B.M., Daly, M. Reduced representation sequencing for symbiotic anthozoans: are reference genomes necessary to eliminate endosymbiont contamination and make robust phylogeographic inference? Global Invertebrate Genomics Alliance Research Conference III (GIGAIII), Curacao, NetherlandsAntilles. Poster presentation
2018 Quattrini, A.M., Faircloth, B.C., Titus, B.M., Rodriguez, E., McFadden, C.S. Phylogenomics of class Anthozoa (Cnidaria) using universal target-enrichment baits. Global Invertebrate Genomics Alliance Research Conference III (GIGAIII), Curacao, Netherlands-Antilles. Poster presentation
2018 Sheridan, N., Seyoum, S., Sharp, W., Titus, B.M., Daly, M., Schrey, A., Richards, C. Population genomics of a monitored sea anemone (Condylactis gigantea) in Florida, U.S. Population, Evolutionary, and Quantitative Genomics Conference, University of Wisconsin.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
American Academy of Underwater Science (AAUS) Scientific Research SCUBA diver (2018-present). 400+ logged scientific research dives
RESEARCH EXPEDITIONS (*planned and led)
2019 Utila, Honduras
2019 Moorea, French Polynesia*
2018 Faresmaathoda, Huvadhu Atoll, Republic of the Maldives*
2018 Gulf of Oman, United Arab Emirates*
2017 San Salvador, Bahamas*
2016 Flower Garden Banks, Gulf of Mexico, Texas, USA*
2015 Eleuthera, Bahamas*
2015 Bocas del Toro, Panama*
2015 Barbados*
2015 Curacao, Netherlands Antilles*
2014 Bermuda*
2014 Cuba*
2014 Mahahual, Mexico*
2014 St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands*
2013 Bay Islands, Honduras*
2013 Florida Keys, USA*
2012 Florida Keys, USA*
2010 Red Sea, Gulf of Aqaba, Jordan
2010 St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands*
2009 St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
2009 Belize
2008 St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands
2007 Enriquillo Valley, Dominican Republic
2006 Belize
OUTREACH
2019 Millstein Ocean Science Series: Ocean Parenting, American Museum of Natural History
2019 Millstein Ocean Science Series: Layers of the Ocean, American Museum of Natural History
2019 Meet the Scientist, Discovery Room, American Museum of Natural History
2013-2017 Volunteer, Museum of Biological Diversity Open House, The Ohio State University
2011 Reef Systems Coral Farm outreach, Boy Scouts of America
2009 Co-leader, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration SeaGrant Outreach, US Virgin Islands
2009 Co-author National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration SeaGrant Activity Book
2008 Co-leader, National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration SeaGrant Outreach, US Virgin Islands
SERVICE
PEER REVIEWS
Molecular Ecology, Molecular Ecology Resources, Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, BMC Evolutionary Biology, Biology Letters, Heredity, Coral Reefs, Marine Biology, Contributions to Zoology, European Journal of Taxonomy, Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, Regional Studies in Marine Science, Biological Bulletin, PeerJ, Marine Environmental Research, Marine Biology Research, Journal of Crustacean Biology.
GRANT REVIEWER
National Science Foundation- Biological Oceanography (BIO-OCE)
UNDERGRADUATE MENTORSHIP ($ Funding received; fieldwork locale)
2018-present Charlotte Benedict, Auburn Univ. Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), National Science Foundation, The American Museum of Natural History. Project: Phylogenetic relationships among the clownfish hosting sea anemones.
2018-present Robert Laroche, Univ. of Houston. Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), National Science Foundation, The American Museum of Natural History. Project: Phylogenetic relationships among the clownfish hosting sea anemones.
2018-present Amy Swift (Utila, Honduras) Oxford University, UK. Project: Does coral reef structural complexity impact reef fish visitation to cleaner shrimp cleaning stations?
2018-present Emily Bremer (Utila, Honduras) Univ. Southampton, UK. Project: Does coral reef structural complexity impact reef fish visitation to cleaner shrimp cleaning stations?
2018-present Chloe Boyd (Utila, Honduras) Univ. Sussex, UK Project: Does client reef fish home range size explain variation in visitation rates at cleaner shrimp cleaning stations?
2016-present Joe Romain, (Tela & Utila, Honduras) *MSc student Univ Essex, UK. Project: Fine-scale patterns of cleaning activity by Pederson’s cleaner shrimp, Ancylomenes pedersoni across ecologically disjunct reef habitats.
2016-present Amelia Rose (Tela & Utila, Honduras) Oxford University, UK. Project: Client body size drives simultaneaous cleaning interactions between cleaner shrimp and cleaner gobies on a Caribbean coral reef
2015-2016 Spencer Palombit ($2,000; Eleuthera, Bahamas) The Ohio State Univ. Project: Endemic diversification in an isolated archipelago with few endemics: an example from a cleaner shrimp species complex in the Tropical Western Atlantic.
2014-2016 Clayton Vondriska ($5,000; Barbados & Curacao). Project: Independent evolution of strategic cleaning behaviors in ecologically analogous cleaner shrimp. *Current MSc student Arkansas State University
2014-2016 Natalie Hamilton ($1000). Project: Global species delimitation and phylogeography of the circumtropical “sexy shrimp” Thor amboinensis reveals a cryptic species complex and secondary contact in the Indo-West Pacific. *Current MSc student The Ohio State University
2014 Anna Klompen. Lab research assistant. *Current PhD student University of Kansas.
2014-2015 Eric Witt ($1500; Bermuda) Otterbein Univ. Project: Endemic diversification in an isolated archipelago with few endemics: an example from a cleaner shrimp species complex in the Tropical Western Atlantic
2013-2015 Annelise del Rio. Project: Contrasting abundance and contribution of clonal proliferation to the population structure of the corkscrew sea anemone Bartholomea annulata in the tropical Western Atlantic *Current PhD student University of California-Davis
2013 Joseph Weethee, The Ohio State University. Lab research assistant
TEACHING EXPERIENCE & TRAINING
COURSES TAUGHT
2018-2019 First Year Graduate Student Seminar Series, Richard Guilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History. (2018-2019)
2016 Organismal Biology (Lab) The Ohio State University
2014 Integrative Biology (recitation) The Ohio State University
2014-2015 Human Anatomy (Lab) The Ohio State University
2013-2016 Evolution (recitation) The Ohio State University
2012-2013 Biology for non-majors (Lab) The Ohio State University
2010 Ecology (Lab) Auburn University
2009-2011 Organismal Biology (Lab) Auburn University
2008 Principles of Biology (Lab) Auburn University
CLASSROOM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2014 Teaching College Biology (BIOL 6001)- Center for Life Science Education, Ohio State Univ. *3 credit hr course for pedagogical training, scholarship of teaching & learning (SoTL), assessment,
2012-2016 Professional development seminar (BIOL 5001)- Center for Life Science Education, Ohio State Univ. 1 credit hr seminar
2012 University Center for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT), GTA training- Ohio State University
2009 Fundamentals of Teaching Biology 7010- Auburn University. 1 credit hr seminar
2009 Professional Aspects of Biology 7540- Auburn University. 1 credit hr seminar
2007 Study of the School-Introduction to Education- Otterbein University. 4 credit hr course
First Year Graduate Student Seminar Series, Richard Guilder Graduate School, American Museum of Natural History. (2018-2019)
Organismal Biology (2016) The Ohio State University
Integrative Biology (2014) The Ohio State University
Human Anatomy (2014-2015) The Ohio State University
Evolution (2013-2016) The Ohio State University
Biology for non-majors (2012-2013) The Ohio State University
Ecology (2010) Auburn University
Organismal Biology (2009-2011)- Auburn University
Principles of Biology (2008) Auburn University
CLASSROOM PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
2014 Teaching College Biology (BIOL 6001)- Center for Life Science Education,
Ohio State Univ. *3 credit hr course for pedagogical training, scholarship
of teaching & learning (SoTL), assessment,
2012-2016 Professional development seminar (BIOL 5001)- Center for Life Science Education, Ohio State Univ. 1 credit hr seminar
2012 University Center for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT), GTA training- Ohio State University
2009 Fundamentals of Teaching Biology 7010- Auburn University. 1 credit hr seminar
2009 Professional Aspects of Biology 7540- Auburn University. 1 credit hr seminar
2007 Study of the School-Introduction to Education- Otterbein University. 4 credit hr course
Collaborators
Estefania Rodriguez American Museum of Natural History
Meg Daly The Ohio State University
Nanette Chadwick Auburn University
Dan A. Exton Operation Wallacea, United Kingdom
Antonio Baeza Clemson University
Michael Berumen King Abdullah Univ. of Science & Technology, Saudi Arabia
Chris Meyer National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian
Bryan Carstens The Ohio State University
James Reimer University of the Ryukyus-Japan
Kensuke Yanagi Natural History Museum-Chiba, Japan
Anna Scott Southern Cross University- Australia
Scott Santos Auburn University
Stephen Ratchford University of the Virgin Islands
Nuno Simoes Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico
Jorge Angulo University of Havana, Cuba
Jessy Castellanos Gell University of Havana, Cuba
Todd Melman Reef Systems Coral Farm Inc.
Marouf Khalaf The University of Jordan-Aqaba
Nancy Sheridan Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
Halard Lescinsky Otterbein University
