Kevin Lafferty
Dr. Keving Lafferty is a Senior Ecologist with the Western Ecological Research Center.
His main interest lies in how parasites affect ecosystems and, in turn, how ecosystems affect parasites. He is also involved in research on the conservation of marine resources, investigating strategies for protecting endangered shorebirds, fish and abalone. He has also assessed the effects of marine reserves.
Dr. Lafferty received his Ph. D. in Ecological Parasitology in 1991 at University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) and took a post doc with the National Marine Sanctuary and a research position at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is presently a Marine Ecologist for the USGS at the Channel Islands Field Station. As a UCSB adjunct faculty member, the university's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology generously provides for Dr. Lafferty's office and laboratory space in the Marine Lab. He advises graduate students in Marine Ecology, but has no formal teaching assignments.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Conservation biology
- Invasive species ecology
- Nearshore marine ecology
- Parasite ecology
- Wetland ecology
Professional Experience
Marine Ecologist, USGS, Western Ecological Science Center, Jul 1998-Present
Assistant Adj. Prof., UCSB, Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology, Jul 1998-Present
Assist. Research Biologist, UCSB Marine Science Institute, Jun 1996-Jul 1998
Assist. Research Biologist, UCLA, Environmental Sciences and Engineering, Jun 1994-Jul 1998
Assist. Research Biologist, UCSB, Marine Science Institute, Jan 1993-May 1994
Post Doctoral Researcher, National Marine Sanctuaries Program, Jan 1992-Dec 1992
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Ecology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 1991
M.A., Zoology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 1988
B.A., Aquatic Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 1985
Affiliations and Memberships*
Amercian Society of Parasitologists
American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists
California Botanical Society
Ecological Society of America
Ecological Society of America
Natural Areas Association
Western Society of Naturalists
Science and Products
Temporal and spatial variation in bird and human use of beaches in southern California
Digenean metacercariae of fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll, Eastern Indo-Pacific
Optimal temperature for malaria transmission is dramatically lower than previously predicted
Biodiversity loss decreases parasite diversity: theory and patterns
More than a meal: integrating non-feeding interactions into food webs
New parasites and predators follow the introduction of two fish species to a subarctic lake: implications for food-web structure and functioning
Shading decreases the abundance of the herbivorous California horn snail, Cerithidea californica
Nematomorph parasites indirectly alter the food web and ecosystem function of streams through behavioural manipulation of their cricket hosts.
How to catch a parasite: Parasite Niche Modeler (PaNic) meets Fishbase
Brain cancer mortality rates increase with Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in France
The role of spatial and temporal heterogeneity and competition in structuring trematode communities in the great pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis (L.)
Ecological consequences of manipulative parasites
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 230
Temporal and spatial variation in bird and human use of beaches in southern California
Southern California’s beaches can support a remarkable diversity of birds along the Pacific Flyway. We asked whether seasonal, annual, and spatial factors affect bird richness and abundance on public beaches. To do so, we conducted three years of monthly bird surveys on 12 sandy beaches in Ventura California. Across all surveys, we counted 22 shorebird species, 8 gull species, 24 other water birdAuthorsKevin D. Lafferty, Donald A. Rodriguez, Angela ChapmanDigenean metacercariae of fishes from the lagoon flats of Palmyra Atoll, Eastern Indo-Pacific
Although many studies on the taxonomy of digenean trematodes of marine fishes have been completed in the Eastern Indo-Pacific (EIP) marine ecoregion, only a few have considered metacercarial stages. Here, the results are presented of a taxonomic survey of the digenean metacercariae of fishes from Palmyra Atoll, a remote and relatively pristine US National Wildlife Refuge located 1680 km SSW of HawAuthorsV. M. Vidal-Martínez, M. L. Aguirre-Macedo, J.P. McLaughlin, R. F. Hechinger, A.G. Jaramillo, J.C. Shaw, A.K. James, A. M. Kuris, Kevin D. LaffertyOptimal temperature for malaria transmission is dramatically lower than previously predicted
The ecology of mosquito vectors and malaria parasites affect the incidence, seasonal transmission and geographical range of malaria. Most malaria models to date assume constant or linear responses of mosquito and parasite life-history traits to temperature, predicting optimal transmission at 31 °C. These models are at odds with field observations of transmission dating back nearly a century. We buAuthorsErin A. Mordecai, Krijn P. Paaijmans, Leah R. Johnson, Christian Balzer, Tal Ben-Horin, Emily de Moor, Amy McNally, Samraat Pawar, Sadie J. Ryan, Thomas C. Smith, Kevin D. LaffertyBiodiversity loss decreases parasite diversity: theory and patterns
Past models have suggested host–parasite coextinction could lead to linear, or concave down relationships between free-living species richness and parasite richness. I explored several models for the relationship between parasite richness and biodiversity loss. Life cycle complexity, low generality of parasites and sensitivity of hosts reduced the robustness of parasite species to the loss of freeAuthorsKevin D. LaffertyMore than a meal: integrating non-feeding interactions into food webs
Organisms eating each other are only one of many types of well documented and important interactions among species. Other such types include habitat modification, predator interference and facilitation. However, ecological network research has been typically limited to either pure food webs or to networks of only a few (AuthorsSonia Kéfi, Eric L. Berlow, Evie A. Wieters, Sergio A. Navarrete, Owen L. Petchey, Spencer A. Wood, Alice Boit, Lucas N. Joppa, Kevin D. Lafferty, Richard J. Williams, Neo D. Martinez, Bruce A. Menge, Carol A. Blanchette, Alison C. Iles, Ulrich BroseNew parasites and predators follow the introduction of two fish species to a subarctic lake: implications for food-web structure and functioning
Introduced species can alter the topology of food webs. For instance, an introduction can aid the arrival of free-living consumers using the new species as a resource, while new parasites may also arrive with the introduced species. Food-web responses to species additions can thus be far more complex than anticipated. In a subarctic pelagic food web with free-living and parasitic species, two fishAuthorsPer-Arne Amundsen, Kevin D. Lafferty, Rune Knudsen, Raul Primicerio, Roar Kristoffersen, Anders Klemetsen, Armand M. KurisShading decreases the abundance of the herbivorous California horn snail, Cerithidea californica
Most of the intertidal zone in estuaries of California, USA and Baja California, Mexico is covered with vascular vegetation. Shading by these vascular plants influences abiotic and biotic processes that shape benthic community assemblages. We present data on the effects of shading on the California horn snail, Cerithidea californica. This species is important because it is the most common benthicAuthorsJulio Lorda, Kevin D. LaffertyNematomorph parasites indirectly alter the food web and ecosystem function of streams through behavioural manipulation of their cricket hosts.
Nematomorph parasites manipulate crickets to enter streams where the parasites reproduce. These manipulated crickets become a substantial food subsidy for stream fishes. We used a field experiment to investigate how this subsidy affects the stream community and ecosystem function. When crickets were available, predatory fish ate fewer benthic invertebrates. The resulting release of the benthic invAuthorsT. Sato, T. Egusa, K. Fukushima, T. Oda, N. Ohte, Naoko Tokuchi, Katsutoshi Watanabe, Minoru Kanaiwa, Isaya Murakami, Kevin D. LaffertyHow to catch a parasite: Parasite Niche Modeler (PaNic) meets Fishbase
Parasite Niche Modeler (PaNic) is a free online software tool that suggests potential hosts for fish parasites. For a particular parasite species from the major helminth groups (Acanthocephala, Cestoda, Monogenea, Nematoda, Trematoda), PaNic takes data from known hosts (maximum body length, growth rate, life span, age at first maturity, trophic level, phylogeny, and biogeography) and hypothesizesAuthorsGiovanni Strona, Kevin D. LaffertyBrain cancer mortality rates increase with Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence in France
The incidence of adult brain cancer was previously shown to be higher in countries where the parasite Toxoplasma gondii is common, suggesting that this brain protozoan could potentially increase the risk of tumor formation. Using countries as replicates has, however, several potential confounding factors, particularly because detection rates vary with country wealth. Using an independent dataset eAuthorsMarion Vittecoq, Eric Elguero, Kevin D. Lafferty, Benjamin Roche, Jacques Brodeur, Michel Gauthier-Clerc, Dorothée Missé, Frédéric ThomasThe role of spatial and temporal heterogeneity and competition in structuring trematode communities in the great pond snail, Lymnaea stagnalis (L.)
We assessed how spatial and temporal heterogeneity and competition structure larval trematode communities in the pulmonate snail Lymnaea stagnalis. To postulate a dominance hierarchy, mark-release-recapture was used to monitor replacements of trematode species within snails over time. In addition, we sampled the trematode community in snails in different ponds in 3 consecutive years. A total of 7,AuthorsMiroslava Soldánová, Armand M. Kuris, Tomáš Scholz, Kevin D. LaffertyEcological consequences of manipulative parasites
This chapter considers the context in which manipulative parasites could have noticeable ecological effects. By this, we mean that a manipulation of a host that benefits a parasite can also indirectly affect other non-hosts in the system, sometimes in dramatic fashion. Such ecosystem-level changes could occur for manipulative parasites that have a strong effect on their host, a high rate of infectAuthorsKevin D. Lafferty, A. M. Kuris, Michel Loreau - News
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government