Coastal Wetland Pond Temperature Forecast

I am collaborating with the USDA Forest Service in Chugach National Forest (Copper River Delta) and Tongass National Forest (Yakutat Forelands) to forecast how coastal wetland temperatures are expected to change before the end of the century. Using observed water and air temperatures from 20 wetlands and forecast air temperatures from the Scenarios Network for Alaska + Arctic Planning (SNAP), I am fitting Bayesian state-space models to forecast water temperature in these two regions of Alaska.

 

Elodea in the Copper River Delta, Alaska

I am collaborating with the USDA Forest Service - Chugach National Forest on a variety of projects related to invasive Elodea canadensis on the Copper River Delta within the Cordova Ranger District. We have three ongoing projects: 1. Using stable isotopes to assess whole food web response to Elodea in ponds across the delta; 2. Exploring the effect stands of Elodea on water chemistry, invertebrates, and fish compared to stands of native vegetation; and 3. Assessing the impacts of an Elodea-selective herbicide treatment on water chemistry, invertebrate communities, and fish.

 

Invertebrate Diversity in Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands

I am collaborating with the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program to assess alpha, beta, and gamma diversity of invertebrate communities in coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes.

 

Long Lake Project

I worked with collaborators to explore the impacts of dissolved organic carbon on lake ecosystems via a whole lake manipulation. I focused on how these impacts affect consumers within the lake.

 
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Individual Specialization Across Population Densities

I worked with well studied populations of rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus) in northern Wisconsin to assess how individual specialization changes across population densities. I assessed dietary specialization using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen and assessed behavioral specialization using a series of laboratory behavioral assays.

 
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Relating Laboratory Behavior to Trophic Position

I aimed to link laboratory dominance to the diet of individuals using stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen. I tested whether laboratory acclimation time, tissue analyzed for stable isotopes, and the primary consumer collection time impacted this relationship between dominance and diet.

 
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Trophic Ecology of Olympic Mudminnow

I investigated the trophic ecology of Olympic mudminnow (Novumbra hubbsi) in Lake Ozette in Olympic National Park. I used spatial occurrence data and stable isotope analysis to assess whether Olympic mudminnow interact with other co-occurring fish species yellow perch, prickly sculpin, and northern pikeminnow. I found that Olympic mudminnow were spatially and trophically segregated from other fish species and that prickly sculpin would be the most likely competitor.