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
Wetlands of California, part II: A method for their classification and description
Recent declines of black abalone Haliotis cracherodii on the mainland coast of central California
Infestation of an introduced host, the European green crab, Carcinus maenas by a native symbiotic nemertean egg predator, Carcinonemertes epialti
Altered behavior of parasitized killifish increases susceptibility to predation by bird final hosts
Threatened fishes of the world: Eucyclogobius newberryi Girard, 1857 (Gobiidae)
Modeling the dynamics of marine species: the importance of incorporating larval dispersal
Analysis of larval trematode communities
Community structure: larval trematodes in snail hosts
Mass mortality of abalone Haliotis cracherodii on the California Channel Islands: tests of epidemiological hypotheses
Effects of parasitic castration on growth, reproduction and population dynamics of Cerithidea californica
The marine snail, Cerithidea californica, matures at smaller sizes where parasitism is high
Foraging on prey that are modified by parasites
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 230
Wetlands of California, part II: A method for their classification and description
No abstract available.AuthorsW.J. Ferren, P.L. Fiedler, R. A. Leidy, K. D. Lafferty, L.A.K. MertesRecent declines of black abalone Haliotis cracherodii on the mainland coast of central California
No abstract available.AuthorsJ.A. Altstatt, R.F. Ambrose, J.M. Engle, P.L. Haaker, K. D. Lafferty, P.T. RaimondiInfestation of an introduced host, the European green crab, Carcinus maenas by a native symbiotic nemertean egg predator, Carcinonemertes epialti
No abstract available.AuthorsM.E. Torchin, K. D. Lafferty, A. M. KurisAltered behavior of parasitized killifish increases susceptibility to predation by bird final hosts
Parasites that are transmitted from prey to predator are often associated with altered prey behavior. Although many concur that behavior modification is a parasite strategy that facilitates transmission by making parasitized prey easier for predators to capture, there is little evidence from field experiments. We observed that conspicuous behaviors exhibited by killfish (Fundulus parvipinnis) wereAuthorsKevin D. Lafferty, A. K. MorrisThreatened fishes of the world: Eucyclogobius newberryi Girard, 1857 (Gobiidae)
No abstract available.AuthorsKevin D. Lafferty, R. O. Swenson, Camm C. SwiftModeling the dynamics of marine species: the importance of incorporating larval dispersal
No abstract available at this timeAuthorsS.D. Gaines, K. D. LaffertyAnalysis of larval trematode communities
We can compare natural communities with null models of communities to indicate how they differ from random assemblages of species (i.e., how much structure is present). However, because null models draw on observed values of species' prevalences, whatever structure already exists in natural communities affects the composition of a null model and weakens its comparative power. To address this, we dAuthorsKevin D. Lafferty, D. T. Sammond, A. M. KurisCommunity structure: larval trematodes in snail hosts
No abstract available.AuthorsA. M. Kuris, K. D. LaffertyMass mortality of abalone Haliotis cracherodii on the California Channel Islands: tests of epidemiological hypotheses
No abstract available.AuthorsK. D. Lafferty, A. M. KurisEffects of parasitic castration on growth, reproduction and population dynamics of Cerithidea californica
No abstract available.AuthorsK. D. LaffertyThe marine snail, Cerithidea californica, matures at smaller sizes where parasitism is high
No abstract available.AuthorsK. D. LaffertyForaging on prey that are modified by parasites
A model that weighs the energetic cost of parasitism for a predator against the energetic value of prey items that transmit the parasite to the predator suggests that there is often no selective pressure to avoid parasitized prey This offers an explanation for why parasites so frequently exploit predators and prey as definitive and intermediate hosts, respectively Furthermore, predators may actualAuthorsKevin D. Lafferty - 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