• Ph.D., 1987, University of California, Irvine
• M.S., 1981, University of California, Irvine
• B.S., 1977, University of San Francisco

We work in the area of environmental physiology of marine invertebrates, focussing on factors that affect the growth and reproduction of economically important bivalve mollusks. We have worked within the context of understanding factors that influence shellfishery recruitment, as well as factors that influence growth and production in shellfish aquaculture. Key areas of study include molluscan particle filtration rates, organic seston fluxes in shellfish habitat, and the optimization of aquaculture systems based on these factors. We also study the environmental impacts of shellfish aquaculture systems.

Another area of our research interest involves the role of the uptake of dissolved organic material as a nutrition source for benthic marine invertebrates. Populations of mollusks and other invertebrates actively transport dissolved organic material from seawater at rates that are of nutritional significance to the individual organisms, as well as being of potential significance to the cycling of organic nitrogen in shallow estuarine and coastal ecosystems.

We are also interested in the impacts of factors such as fishing effort and nutritional status on the reproduction, recruitment and disribution of bivalve mollusks such as oysters and quahogs in estuarine enviroments.

• Manahan, D.T., S.H. Wright, G.C. Stephens and M.A. Rice. 1982. Transport of dissolved amino acids by the mussel Mytilus edulis: Demonstration of net uptake from seawater by HPLC analysis. Science 215:1253-1255.


• Rice, M.A., C. Hickox and I. Zehra. 1989. Effects of intensive fishing effort on the population structure of quahogs, Mercenaria mercenaria (L.) in Narragansett Bay. Journal of Shellfish Research 8:445-454.


• Rice, M. A. and J. Pechenik. 1992. A review of factors influencing the growth of the northern quahog. J. Shellfish Res. 11:279-287.


• Lin, W., M. A. Rice, and P.K. Chien. 1992. The effects of copper, cadmium and zinc on particle filtration and uptake of glycine in the pacific oyster. Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 103C:181-187.


• Rheault, R. and M. A. Rice. 1995. Transient gear shellfish aquaculture. World Aquaculture 26:26-31


• Rheault, R.B. and M.A. Rice 1996. Food-limited growth and condition index in the eastern oyster, Crassostrea virginica( Gmelin, 1791), and the bay scallop, Argopecten irradians irradians (Lamarck 1819). Journal of Shellfish Research 15:271-283.


• Andamari, R., M.A. Rice and P.P. Yevich. 1996. A survey of disease in the oyster Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791) in Rhode Island coastal estuaries. Wasmann Journal of Biology 51:39-54.


• Rice, M.A. 1999. The uptake of dissolved free amino acids by northern quahogs, Mercenaria mercenaria and its relative importance to organic nitrogen deposition in Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island. Journal of Shellfish Research 18:547-553.


• Rice, M.A., A. Valliere, and A. Caporelli. 2000. A review of shellfish restoration and management projects in Rhode Island. Journal of Shellfish Research 19:401-408.


• Rice. M.A. 2000. A review of shellfish restoration as a tool for coastal water quality management. Environment Cape Cod 3(2):1-8.


• J.M. Pietros and M.A. Rice. 2003. The impacts of aquacultured oysters, Crassostrea virginica (Gmelin, 1791) on water column nitrogen and sedimentation: results of a mesocosm study. Aquaculture 220:407-422.


• Rice, M.A., A. J. Mmochi, L. Zuberi and R.M. Savoie. 2006. Aquaculture in Tanzania. World Aquaculture 37(4):50-57 + cover photo.