My primary research interests are in the role that ecological processes play in structuring aquatic communities and their implications for the population dynamics of marine and estuarine fishes. I am interested in identifying factors that affect survival of early juveniles and extending knowledge of individual processes to understand interactions among size-structured populations. The population dynamics of the juvenile stages of many fishes are poorly understood and recent evidence has indicated that processes occurring during the first year of life post-metamorphosis can result in a significant bottleneck between larval stages of fishes and recruitment to the adult population. Recently, my research has centered on piscivore-prey interactions and the implications of habitat structure and behavior on size-dependent growth and survival of recreationally and commercially important species. I am also interested in how environmental conditions affect physiological processes and the relative importance of abiotic versus biotic factors in determining survival and distribution of fishes.

Lanier, J.M. and F.S. Scharf.  2007.  Experimental investigation of spatial and temporal variation in estuarine growth of age-0 juvenile red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus).  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 349:131-141.

Scharf, F.S., J.A. Buckel, F. Juanes, J.H. Cowan, and K.A. Rose.  2006.  Effects of variable prey and cohort dynamics on growth of young-of-the-year estuarine bluefish: evidence for interactions between spring- and summer-spawned cohorts.  Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 135:1266-1289.

Scharf, F.S., J.P. Manderson, and M.C. Fabrizio.  2006.  The effects of seafloor habitat complexity on survival of juvenile fishes: species-specific interactions with structural refuge.   Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 335:167-176.

Scharf, F.S., J.P. Manderson, M.P. Fabrizio, J.P. Pessutti, J.E. Rosendale, R.J. Chant, and A.J. Bejda.  2004.  Seasonal and interannual patterns of distribution and diet of bluefish within a Middle Atlantic Bight estuary in relation to abiotic and biotic factors.  Estuaries 27(3):426-436.

Scharf, F.S., J.A. Buckel, P.A. McGinn, and F. Juanes.  2003.  Vulnerability of marine forage fishes to piscivory: effects of prey behavior on susceptibility to attack and capture.  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 294(1):41-59.