Silvia Maciá


Silvia Maciá is an American marine biologist and professor of biology at Barry University in Miami Shores, FL. Her research interests involves both laboratory and field work addressing pipefish mating behavior, seagrass community ecology, coral reef grazing ecology and seagrass restoration.
Maciá is perhaps best noted for her discovery that Caribbean reef squid can fly. She and her biologist husband Michael Robinson were boating on the north coast of Jamaica when she spotted something fly out of the water. She initially thought they were flying fish but after watching for a few seconds, she realized they were squid.

Background

Maciá has taught a number of courses, including marine biology, oceanography, tropical marine ecosystems, ecology, environmental science and botany. She has published over 20 academic publications, which have been cited over 500 times, resulting in an h-index of 11.

Selected academic publications

  • Maciá, S, MP Robinson Reproductive pattern in the caridean shrimp Gnathophylloides mineri Schmitt, a symbiont of sea urchins. J. Crustacean Biol. 32: 727-732.
  • Maciá, S, MP Robinson Why be cryptic? Choice of host urchin is not based on camouflage in the caridean shrimp Gnathophylloides mineri. Acta Ethologica 12:105-113.
  • Maciá, S. and MP Robinson Growth rates of the tropical sea urchins Tripneustes ventricosus and Lytechinus variegatus based on natural recruitment events. Caribb. J. Sci. 45: 64-68
  • Maciá, S, MP Robinson Habitat-dependent growth in a Caribbean sea urchin Tripneustes ventricosus: the importance of food type. Helgoland Mar. Res. 62: 303-308.
  • Maciá, S, MP Robinson, A Nalevanko Experimental dispersal of recovering Diadema antillarum increases grazing intensity and reduces macroalgal abundance on a coral reef. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 348: 173-182.
  • Maciá, S, MP Robinson Effects of habitat heterogeneity in seagrass beds on grazing patterns of parrotfishes. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 303: 113-121.
  • Maciá, S, MP Robinson, P Craze, R Dalton, and JD Thomas New observations on airborne jet propulsion in squid with a review of previous reports. J. Molluscan Studies 70: 309-311.
  • Prince, JS, WG LeBlanc, and S Maciá Design and analysis of multiple choice feeding preference data. Oecologia 138: 1-4.
  • Lirman, D. B Orlando, S Maciá, D Manzello, L Kaufman, P Biber and T Jones Coral communities of Biscayne Bay, Florida and adjacent offshore areas: Diversity, abundance, distribution, and environmental correlates. Aq. Conserv. 13: 121-135.
  • Irlandi, E, B Orlando, S Maciá, P Biber, T Jones, L Kaufman, D Lirman, and E Patterson The influence of freshwater runoff on biomass, morphometrics, and production of Thalassia testudinum. Aq. Bot. 72: 67-78.
  • Maciá, S The role of sea urchin grazing and drift algal blooms in the community ecology of a subtropical seagrass bed. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 246: 53-67.
  • Maciá, S and D Lirman Destruction of Florida Bay seagrasses by a grazing front of sea urchins. Bull. Mar. Sci. 65: 593-601.