RESEARCH

My research investigates the nexus between organismal physiology and ecology that enables species to persist in increasingly stochastic environments. Tracing how molecules flow within ecosystems is central to fundamental ecological theory and provides insight into the adaptive capacity of individuals and species. I combine ecotoxicology, endocrinology, and stable isotope analysis in novel ways to study ecological niche variation, explore how nutrients are allocated to growth and reproduction, assess how resource/habitat use and physiology influence pollutant loads and fitness of individuals, and trace how free-ranging organisms interact with their environment to maintain their water balance.

My research spans from molecules to populations of marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, across different biomes, and includes multiple taxa (fishes, birds, reptiles, marine and terrestrial mammals). ​Please see the links below for details on specific research themes.

Biomarkers and other chemical tracers and that are deposited chronologically along the length of keratinous tissues, such as nails or whiskers for example, can be used to study the ecology, amino acid metabolism, nutrient transfer, pollutant exposure, stress, and reproductive status of free ranging animals.