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
Parasites and marine invasions
Trophic strategies, animal diversity and body size
Use of acoustic classification of sidescan sonar data for mapping benthic habitat in the Northern Channel Islands, California
Good medicine for conservation biology: The intersection of epidemiology and conservation theory
Conflict of interest between a nematode and a trematode in an amphipod host: Test of the "sabotage" hypothesis
Fecampia erythrocephala rediscovered: prevalence and distribution of a parasitoid of the European shore crab, Carcinus maenas
Interspecific interactions in trematode communities
Food webs including parasites, biomass, body sizes, and life stages for three California/Baja California estuaries
Restoration of the White Abalone in Southern California: Population Assessment, Brood Stock Collection, and Development of Husbandry Technology. Final Report
Disturbance to wintering western snowy plovers
Birds at a Southern California beach: seasonality, habitat use and disturbance by human activity
Release from parasites as natural enemies: increased performance of a globally introduced marine crab
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 229
Parasites and marine invasions
Introduced marine species are a major environmental and economic problem. The rate of these biological invasions has substantially increased in recent years due to the globalization of the world's economies. The damage caused by invasive species is often a result of the higher densities and larger sizes they attain compared to where they are native. A prominent hypothesis explaining the success ofAuthorsM.E. Torchin, K. D. Lafferty, A. M. KurisTrophic strategies, animal diversity and body size
A primary difference between predators and parasites is the number of victims that an individual attacks throughout a life-history stage. A key division within natural enemies is whether a successful attack eliminates the fitness of the prey or the host. A third distinctive axis for parasites is whether the host must die to further parasite development. The presence or absence of intensity-dependeAuthorsKevin D. Lafferty, Armand M. KurisUse of acoustic classification of sidescan sonar data for mapping benthic habitat in the Northern Channel Islands, California
Highly reflective seafloor features imaged by sidescan sonar in nearshore waters off the Northern Channel Islands (California, USA) have been observed in subsequent submersible dives to be areas of thin sand covering bedrock. Adjacent areas of rocky seafloor, suitable as habitat for endangered species of abalone and rockfish, and encrusting organisms, cannot be differentiated from the areas of thiAuthorsGuy R. Cochrane, Kevin D. LaffertyGood medicine for conservation biology: The intersection of epidemiology and conservation theory
A survey of organochlorine residues in woodcock wings was undertaken to determine whether these wings are suitable for showing regional differences in residues and to obtain a baseline in 1970-71 for later comparisons. Woodcock wings were obtained from the annual hunter's wing survey. Samples came from eight States (Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, andAuthorsKevin D. Lafferty, Leah R. GerberConflict of interest between a nematode and a trematode in an amphipod host: Test of the "sabotage" hypothesis
Microphallus papillorobustus is a manipulative trematode that induces strong behavioural alterations in the gamaridean amphipod Gammarus insensibilis, making the amphipod more vulnerable to predation by aquatic birds (definitive hosts). Conversely, the sympatric nematodeGammarinema gammari uses Gammarus insensibilis as a habitat and a source of nutrition. We investigated the conflict of interest bAuthorsFrédéric Thomas, Jerome Fauchier, Kevin D. LaffertyFecampia erythrocephala rediscovered: prevalence and distribution of a parasitoid of the European shore crab, Carcinus maenas
An ecological assessment of Fecampia erythrocephala, reporting its habitat distribution, abundance, host specificity, size-specific prevalence, frequency distribution among hosts, effect on host growth, and its site specificity within these hosts is presented. At the Isle of Man and near Plymouth, Fecampia erythrocephala cocoons were generally abundant on the undersides of rocks in the AscophyllumAuthorsArmand M. Kuris, Mark E. Torchin, Kevin D. LaffertyInterspecific interactions in trematode communities
This chapter reviews the behavioural ecology of trematodes, focusing on intramolluscular stages. Interspecific competitive interactions, their frequency, dominance hierarchies and resolutions are discussed. Strategies employed by larval trematode species to adapt to a hostile, competitive environment, how these adaptations shape larval trematode communities, and how altered trematode communities cAuthorsKevin D. LaffertyFood webs including parasites, biomass, body sizes, and life stages for three California/Baja California estuaries
This data set presents food webs for three North American Pacific coast estuaries and a “Metaweb” composed of the species/stages compiled from all three estuaries. The webs have four noteworthy attributes: (1) parasites (infectious agents), (2) body-size information, (3) biomass information, and (4) ontogenetic stages of many animals with complex life cycles. The estuaries are Carpinteria Salt MarAuthorsRyan F. Hechinger, Kevin D. Lafferty, John P. McLaughlin, Brian L. Fredensborg, Todd C. Huspeni, Julio Lorda, Parwant K. Sandhu, Jenny C. Shaw, Mark E. Torchin, Kathleen L. Whitney, Armand M. KurisRestoration of the White Abalone in Southern California: Population Assessment, Brood Stock Collection, and Development of Husbandry Technology. Final Report
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsKevin D. LaffertyDisturbance to wintering western snowy plovers
In order to better understand the nature of disturbances to wintering snowy plovers, I observed snowy plovers and activities that might disturb them at a beach near Devereux Slough in Santa Barbara, California, USA. Disturbance (activity that caused plovers to move or fly) to wintering populations of threatened western snowy plovers was 16 times higher at a public beach than at protected beaches.AuthorsKevin D. LaffertyBirds at a Southern California beach: seasonality, habitat use and disturbance by human activity
Use of a Santa Barbara beach by people and birds varied in both time and space. There were 100 birds, 18 people and 2 dogs per kilometer. Bird density varied primarily with the season and tide while human activity varied most between weekend and weekday. Bird distributions along the beach were determined mainly by habitat type (particularly a lagoon and exposed rocky intertidal areas) For crows anAuthorsKevin D. LaffertyRelease from parasites as natural enemies: increased performance of a globally introduced marine crab
Introduced species often seem to perform better than conspecifics in their native range. This is apparent in the high densities they may achieve or the larger individual sizes they attain. A prominent hypothesis explaining the success of introduced terrestrial species is that they are typically free of or are less affected by the natural enemies (competitors, predators, and parasites) they encountAuthorsMark E. Torchin, Kevin D. Lafferty, Armand M. Kuris - 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