Most Recent Projects:
I completed my PhD at the University of Arizona working with Dr. Michael Bogan to understand more about rock pool (tinaja/pothole) ecosystems in the Sonoran Desert. Rock pools are eroded depressions in rock outcrops or canyons. They fill during rain events and slowly dry as the water evaporates over time. Hydroperiod (the length of time a pool holds water) controls what kinds of aquatic invertebrates can live within the pools because the invertebrates must be able to survive when the pools dry. My PhD research investigated how hydroperiod controls the aquatic invertebrate communities of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument (AZ). I found that longer-lasting pools have higher biodiversity but shorter-lasting pools have a higher proportion of individuals with adaptations to survive drying within their communities. Sonoran Desert rock pools contain many species that are not found in the nearby permanent waterbodies, meaning rock pools contribute significantly to regional aquatic biodiversity.
Another project from my PhD was about how soldier fly larvae (Stratiomyidae) use dormancy to survive dry periods in the rock pools. Dormancy is like hibernation-- the flies suspend their vital functions, spending as little energy as possible while staying alive. However, these larvae still lose water from their bodies during dormancy, and they have to use energy without eating to create more. So, I investigated the limits to their ability to survive drying. I found that they can survive at least two dry periods, but survival decreases with each drying event. My research demonstrated that larvae do not need sediment or moisture to survive dormancy. This work (continuing to investigate) helps land managers predict survival rates as climate change continues to shorten hydroperiods and informs conservation efforts.
Other Previous Research
My Master's degree research at Utah State University with Dr. Trisha Atwood focused on the macroinvertebrate communities and trout within beaver-altered streams of northeastern Utah. Beavers are ecosystem engineers, shaping streams with woody debris, mud, and other materials to make a suitable home. The dams beavers build create large lentic habitats within lotic systems, changing the habitats available to other stream organisms. We documented the invertebrates of lotic reaches and of in-stream beaver ponds to analyze the differences in community structure by functional feeding group. Additionally, we sampled trout diets to determine how the lentic beaver pond habitats, and the different invertebrates within them, were related to trout foraging. |
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I was previously a research assistant at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory studying the caddisfly communities of montane to subalpine ponds of differing hydroperiods. As climate change raises temperatures at higher elevations, organisms can move upslope to follow their ideal habitat conditions. We quantified how each species within a guild of caddisflies contributes to nutrient cycling and detritus processing in montane to subalpine ponds. Then, as species migrated up elevation, creating new species compositions, we modeled how those species compositions could change ecosystem functioning. |
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I studied abroad in Costa Rica during my time at Allegheny College, and had the opportunity to complete an independent research project. I studied the species composition of butterflies in different crops (banana, coffee, pasture) and in remnant forest fragments near Monteverde, Costa Rica. I found that the species composition seemed to follow the Intermediate Disturbance Hypothesis. |
My senior thesis at Allegheny was part of a 20-year nitrogen (N) deposition study in a temperate deciduous forest. I worked in the Bousson Experimental Forest, quantifying leaf litter decomposition rates on N-deposition plots and control plots to understand how chronic N-deposition affected leaf litter decomposition. |