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
Fishing diseased abalone to promote yield and conservation
Does biodiversity protect humans against infectious disease? Reply
Ontogenetic dynamics of infection with Diphyllobothrium spp. cestodes in sympatric Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.) and brown trout Salmo trutta L.
Mapping physiological suitability limits for malaria in Africa under climate change
Two myxozoans from the urinary tract of topsmelt, Atherinops affinis
A general consumer-resource population model
Sea otter health: challenging a pet hypothesis
Editorial: roles and mechanisms of parasitism in aquatic microbial communities
Reduced transmission of human schistosomiasis after restoration of a native river prawn that preys on the snail intermediate host
How do humans affect wildlife nematodes?
Understanding uncertainty in temperature effects on vector-borne disease: a Bayesian approach
Mapping the distribution of malaria: current approaches and future directions
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 230
Fishing diseased abalone to promote yield and conservation
Past theoretical models suggest fishing disease-impacted stocks can reduce parasite transmission, but this is a good management strategy only when the exploitation required to reduce transmission does not overfish the stock. We applied this concept to a red abalone fishery so impacted by an infectious disease (withering syndrome) that stock densities plummeted and managers closed the fishery. In aAuthorsTal Ben-Horin, Kevin D. Lafferty, Gorka Bidegain, Hunter S. LenihanDoes biodiversity protect humans against infectious disease? Reply
The dilution effect is the sort of idea that everyone wants to be true. If nature protects humans against infectious disease, imagine the implications: nature's value could be tallied in terms of human suffering avoided. This makes a potent argument for conservation, convincing even to those who would otherwise be disinclined to support conservation initiatives. The appeal of the dilution effect hAuthorsChelsea L. Wood, Kevin D. Lafferty, Giulio DeLeo, Hillary S. Young, Peter J. Hudson, Armand M. KurisOntogenetic dynamics of infection with Diphyllobothrium spp. cestodes in sympatric Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus (L.) and brown trout Salmo trutta L.
The trophic niches of Arctic charr and brown trout differ when the species occur in sympatry. Their trophically transmitted parasites are expected to reflect these differences. Here, we investigate how the infections of Diphyllobothrium dendriticum and D. ditremum differ between charr and trout. These tapeworms use copepods as their first intermediate hosts and fish can become infected as second iAuthorsEirik H. Henrickson, Rune Knudsen, Roar Kristoffersen, Armand M. Kuris, Kevin D. Lafferty, Anna Siwertsson, Per-Arne AmundsenMapping physiological suitability limits for malaria in Africa under climate change
We mapped current and future temperature suitability for malaria transmission in Africa using a published model that incorporates nonlinear physiological responses to temperature of the mosquito vector Anopheles gambiae and the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum. We found that a larger area of Africa currently experiences the ideal temperature for transmission than previously supposed. Under fAuthorsSadie J. Ryan, Amy McNally, Leah R. Johnson, Erin A. Mordecai, Tal Ben-Horin, Krijn P. Paaijmans, Kevin D. LaffertyTwo myxozoans from the urinary tract of topsmelt, Atherinops affinis
Two myxozoan species were observed in the kidney of topsmelt, Atherinops affinis, during a survey of parasites of estuarine fishes in the Carpinteria Salt Marsh Reserve, California. Fish collected on 3 dates in 2012 and 2013 were sectioned and examined histologically. Large extrasporogonic stages occurred in the renal interstitium of several fish from the first 2 collections (5/8, 11/20, respectivAuthorsJustin L. Sanders, Alejandra G. Jaramillo, Jacob E. Ashford, Stephen W. Feist, Kevin D. Lafferty, Michael L. KentA general consumer-resource population model
Food-web dynamics arise from predator-prey, parasite-host, and herbivore-plant interactions. Models for such interactions include up to three consumer activity states (questing, attacking, consuming) and up to four resource response states (susceptible, exposed, ingested, resistant). Articulating these states into a general model allows for dissecting, comparing, and deriving consumer-resource modAuthorsKevin D. Lafferty, Giulio DeLeo, Cheryl J. Briggs, Andrew P. Dobson, Thilo Gross, Armand M. KurisSea otter health: challenging a pet hypothesis
A recent series of studies on tagged sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) challenges the hypothesis that sea otters are sentinels of a dirty ocean, in particular, that pet cats are the main source of exposure to Toxoplasma gondii in central California. Counter to expectations, sea otters from unpopulated stretches of coastline are less healthy and more exposed to parasites than city-associated otterAuthorsKevin D. LaffertyEditorial: roles and mechanisms of parasitism in aquatic microbial communities
No abstract available.AuthorsTelesphore Sime-Ngando, Kevin D. Lafferty, David G. BironReduced transmission of human schistosomiasis after restoration of a native river prawn that preys on the snail intermediate host
Eliminating human parasitic disease often requires interrupting complex transmission pathways. Even when drugs to treat people are available, disease control can be difficult if the parasite can persist in nonhuman hosts. Here, we show that restoration of a natural predator of a parasite’s intermediate hosts may enhance drug-based schistosomiasis control. Our study site was the Senegal River BasinAuthorsSusanne H. Sokolow, Elizabeth Huttinger, Nicolas Jouanard, Michael H. Hsieh, Kevin D. Lafferty, Armand M. Kuris, Gilles Riveau, Simon Senghor, Cheikh Thiam, Alassane D'Diaye, Djibril Sarr Faye, Giulio A. De LeoHow do humans affect wildlife nematodes?
Human actions can affect wildlife and their nematode parasites. Species introductions and human-facilitated range expansions can create new host–parasite interactions. Novel hosts can introduce parasites and have the potential to both amplify and dilute nematode transmission. Furthermore, humans can alter existing nematode dynamics by changing host densities and the abiotic conditions that affectAuthorsSara B. Weinstein, Kevin D. LaffertyUnderstanding uncertainty in temperature effects on vector-borne disease: a Bayesian approach
Extrinsic environmental factors influence the distribution and population dynamics of many organisms, including insects that are of concern for human health and agriculture. This is particularly true for vector-borne infectious diseases like malaria, which is a major source of morbidity and mortality in humans. Understanding the mechanistic links between environment and population processes for thAuthorsLeah R. Johnson, Tal Ben-Horin, Kevin D. Lafferty, Amy McNally, Erin A. Mordecai, Krijn P. Paaijmans, Samraat Pawar, Sadie J. RyanMapping the distribution of malaria: current approaches and future directions
Mapping the distribution of malaria has received substantial attention because the disease is a major source of illness and mortality in humans, especially in developing countries. It also has a defined temporal and spatial distribution. The distribution of malaria is most influenced by its mosquito vector, which is sensitive to extrinsic environmental factors such as rainfall and temperature. TemAuthorsLeah R. Johnson, Kevin D. Lafferty, Amy McNally, Erin A. Mordecai, Krijn P. Paaijmans, Samraat Pawar, Sadie J. Ryan - 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