Aquatic invertebrate samples collected from a tributary in the Grand Canyon
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Parker Dam on the Colorado River
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Riding with the USGS to sites downstream of Hoover Dam
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Research Interests
Ecosystem ecology, anthropogenic impacts, conservation, population genetics and modeling
PhD Research - Freshwater Ecology
My dissertation will explore the effects of an anthropogenic impact (dams) on aquatic invertebrates. Specifically, I will characterize dominance within the aquatic invertebrate communities immediately downstream from seven large dams in the Colorado River Basin. Downstream of one dam, I will use next generation sequencing to determine how related tributary populations of insects with different dispersal abilities are. Downstream of another dam, I will model how population size responds to various river flows. My research will help direct dam operations for the sake of insects, which are the base of the aquatic food web and critical to many of the world-class fisheries in the Western USA.
Ecosystem ecology, anthropogenic impacts, conservation, population genetics and modeling
PhD Research - Freshwater Ecology
My dissertation will explore the effects of an anthropogenic impact (dams) on aquatic invertebrates. Specifically, I will characterize dominance within the aquatic invertebrate communities immediately downstream from seven large dams in the Colorado River Basin. Downstream of one dam, I will use next generation sequencing to determine how related tributary populations of insects with different dispersal abilities are. Downstream of another dam, I will model how population size responds to various river flows. My research will help direct dam operations for the sake of insects, which are the base of the aquatic food web and critical to many of the world-class fisheries in the Western USA.
Master's Research - Scavenging Ecology
I researched the scavenging pathway within Hawaiian food webs with a focus on invasive species. I looked at the vertebrate scavenging communities that utilized amphibian and reptile carcasses (Summer 2013) and mammal and bird carcasses (Summer 2014). I used a unique trail camera set-up with a motion and pressure sensitive trigger system to record photos of scavengers in the act of consuming carcasses. I also led and assisted with many research projects on the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC, that examined scavenging, contaminant exposure, and mating systems.
I researched the scavenging pathway within Hawaiian food webs with a focus on invasive species. I looked at the vertebrate scavenging communities that utilized amphibian and reptile carcasses (Summer 2013) and mammal and bird carcasses (Summer 2014). I used a unique trail camera set-up with a motion and pressure sensitive trigger system to record photos of scavengers in the act of consuming carcasses. I also led and assisted with many research projects on the Savannah River Site in Aiken, SC, that examined scavenging, contaminant exposure, and mating systems.
Putative Elliptio arca from Sandy Creek, Chambers County, Alabama
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Jones Mill Dam (175 years old) on Sandy Creek, Chambers County, Alabama
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Undergraduate and Technician Research - Aquatic Conservation
For my undergraduate honors thesis at Appalachian State University (ASU), I examined the population genetics of two freshwater mussel species, a putative population of Elliptio arca in Alabama and Elliptio complanata in North Carolina, for evidence of population fragmentation caused by small mill dams that bisects the study streams. I extracted the DNA from tissue samples using a Qiagen kit, ran PCR on the DNA to amplify the genes of interest (ND1 and CO1), and analyzed the sequences with various computer programs for evidence of population fragmentation (Sequencher, MEGA5, TCS, and DNAsp.) There was no evidence of population fragmentation from this data.
I also worked as the Lab Manager for Dr. Mike Gangloff’s Aquatic Conservation Biology Lab at ASU. I planned and assisted with field trips for environmental contract jobs and graduate student work involving beaver, fish, freshwater mussel, macroinvertebrate, and hellbender surveys, as well as habitat assessments and water quality testing, throughout the Southeastern USA. We completed our surveys using the following techniques: fish electro-shocking, timed snorkel and SCUBA searches, kick seining, and Surber sampling. I bought, built, and maintained lab equipment and completed data entry, analysis, and report writing. I also assisted with lab accounting and personnel concerns. For an Environmental Toxicology class research project at ASU, I surveyed the fish and macroinvertebrates of a local stream, Hodges Creek, and tested the sediments for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This stream had been contaminated the year before (in 2010) by coal tar asphalt sealant that resulted in a massive fish kill. Our results show the recovery of the aquatic life and the downstream movement of the PAHs within the sediment.
As a technician for Dr. Rob Baldwin at Clemson University I worked in eastern North Carolina on Weyerhaeuser timberlands looking at the habitat selection of the spotted turtle, Clemmys guttata. This semi-aquatic turtle is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List but is numerous in and around the ditches of Weyerhaeuser’s highly managed loblolly forests. I tracked 27 spotted turtles using radio telemetry, locating the turtles twice a week and measuring habitat parameters at the turtle’s location and nearby random plots.
For my undergraduate honors thesis at Appalachian State University (ASU), I examined the population genetics of two freshwater mussel species, a putative population of Elliptio arca in Alabama and Elliptio complanata in North Carolina, for evidence of population fragmentation caused by small mill dams that bisects the study streams. I extracted the DNA from tissue samples using a Qiagen kit, ran PCR on the DNA to amplify the genes of interest (ND1 and CO1), and analyzed the sequences with various computer programs for evidence of population fragmentation (Sequencher, MEGA5, TCS, and DNAsp.) There was no evidence of population fragmentation from this data.
I also worked as the Lab Manager for Dr. Mike Gangloff’s Aquatic Conservation Biology Lab at ASU. I planned and assisted with field trips for environmental contract jobs and graduate student work involving beaver, fish, freshwater mussel, macroinvertebrate, and hellbender surveys, as well as habitat assessments and water quality testing, throughout the Southeastern USA. We completed our surveys using the following techniques: fish electro-shocking, timed snorkel and SCUBA searches, kick seining, and Surber sampling. I bought, built, and maintained lab equipment and completed data entry, analysis, and report writing. I also assisted with lab accounting and personnel concerns. For an Environmental Toxicology class research project at ASU, I surveyed the fish and macroinvertebrates of a local stream, Hodges Creek, and tested the sediments for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). This stream had been contaminated the year before (in 2010) by coal tar asphalt sealant that resulted in a massive fish kill. Our results show the recovery of the aquatic life and the downstream movement of the PAHs within the sediment.
As a technician for Dr. Rob Baldwin at Clemson University I worked in eastern North Carolina on Weyerhaeuser timberlands looking at the habitat selection of the spotted turtle, Clemmys guttata. This semi-aquatic turtle is listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List but is numerous in and around the ditches of Weyerhaeuser’s highly managed loblolly forests. I tracked 27 spotted turtles using radio telemetry, locating the turtles twice a week and measuring habitat parameters at the turtle’s location and nearby random plots.
