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
The elusive baseline of marine disease: Are diseases in ocean ecosystems increasing?
Using larval trematodes that parasitize snails to evaluate a saltmarsh restoration project
Fishing for lobsters indirectly increases epidemics in sea urchins
Effects of marine reserves and urchin disease on southern Californian rocky reef communities
Does terrestrial epidemiology apply to marine systems?
Evolution of trophic transmission in parasites: Why add intermediate hosts?
Is disease increasing or decreasing, and does it impact or maintain biodiversity?
Keeping the herds healthy and alert: Implications of predator control for infectious disease
Introduced species and their missing parasites
Ecological criteria for evaluating candidate sites for marine reserves
Application of ecological criteria in selecting marine reserves and developing reserve networks
Marine reserve design for conservation and fisheries management: a case study from the California Channel Islands
Science and Products
- Science
- Data
- Multimedia
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 230
The elusive baseline of marine disease: Are diseases in ocean ecosystems increasing?
Disease outbreaks alter the structure and function of marine ecosystems, directly affecting vertebrates (mammals, turtles, fish), invertebrates (corals, crustaceans, echinoderms), and plants (seagrasses). Previous studies suggest a recent increase in marine disease. However, lack of baseline data in most communities prevents a direct test of this hypothesis. We developed a proxy to evaluate a predAuthorsJessica R. Ward, Kevin D. LaffertyUsing larval trematodes that parasitize snails to evaluate a saltmarsh restoration project
We conducted a Before-After-Control-Impact (BACI) study using larval digeneans infecting the California horn snail, Cerithidea californica, to evaluate the success of an ecological restoration project at Carpinteria Salt Marsh in California, USA. Digenean trematodes are parasites with complex life cycles requiring birds and other vertebrates as final hosts. We tested two hypotheses for prevalenceAuthorsTodd C. Huspeni, Kevin D. LaffertyFishing for lobsters indirectly increases epidemics in sea urchins
Two ecological paradigms, the trophic cascade and the host-density threshold in disease, interact in the kelp-forest ecosystem to structure the community. To investigate what happens when a trophic cascade pushes a host population over a host-threshold density, I analyzed a 20-year data set of kelp forest communities at 16 sites in the region of the Channel Islands National Park, California, USA.AuthorsKevin D. LaffertyEffects of marine reserves and urchin disease on southern Californian rocky reef communities
While the species level effects of marine reserves are widely recognized, community level shifts due to marine reserves have only recently been documented. Protection from fishing of top predators may lead to trophic cascades, which have community-wide implications. Disease may act in a similar manner, regulating population levels of dominant species within a community. Two decades of data from thAuthorsMichael D. Behrens, Kevin D. LaffertyDoes terrestrial epidemiology apply to marine systems?
Most of epidemiological theory has been developed for terrestrial systems, but the significance of disease in the ocean is now being recognized. However, the extent to which terrestrial epidemiology can be directly transferred to marine systems is uncertain. Many broad types of disease-causing organism occur both on land and in the sea, and it is clear that some emergent disease problems in marineAuthorsHamish I. McCallum, Armand M. Kuris, C. Drew Harvell, Kevin D. Lafferty, Garriet W. Smith, James PorterEvolution of trophic transmission in parasites: Why add intermediate hosts?
Although multihost complex life cycles (CLCs) are common in several distantly related groups of parasites, their evolution remains poorly understood. In this article, we argue that under particular circumstances, adding a second host to a single-host life cycle is likely to enhance transmission (i.e., reaching the target host). For instance, in several situations, the propagules of a parasite explAuthorsMarc Choisy, Sam P. Brown, Kevin D. Lafferty, Frédéric ThomasIs disease increasing or decreasing, and does it impact or maintain biodiversity?
No abstract available.AuthorsK. D. LaffertyKeeping the herds healthy and alert: Implications of predator control for infectious disease
Predator control programmes are generally implemented in an attempt to increase prey population sizes. However, predator removal could prove harmful to prey populations that are regulated primarily by parasitic infections rather than by predation. We develop models for microparasitic and macroparasitic infection that specify the conditions where predator removal will (a) increase the incidence ofAuthorsCraig Packer, Robert D. Holt, Peter J. Hudson, Kevin D. Lafferty, Andrew P. DobsonIntroduced species and their missing parasites
Damage caused by introduced species results from the high population densities and large body sizes that they attain in their new location. Escape from the effects of natural enemies is a frequent explanation given for the success of introduced species. Because some parasites can reduce host density and decrease body size, an invader that leaves parasites behind and encounters few new parasites caAuthorsMark E. Torchin, Kevin D. Lafferty, Andrew P. Dobson, Valerie J. McKenzie, Armand M. KurisEcological criteria for evaluating candidate sites for marine reserves
Several schemes have been developed to help select the locations of marine reserves. All of them combine social, economic, and biological criteria, and few offer any guidance as to how to prioritize among the criteria identified. This can imply that the relative weights given to different criteria are unimportant. Where two sites are of equal value ecologically, then socioeconomic criteria shouldAuthorsCallum M. Roberts, Sandy Andelman, George Branch, Rodrigo H. Bustamante, Juan Carlos Castilla, Jenifer Dugan, Benjamin S. Halpern, Kevin D. Lafferty, Heather Leslie, Jane Lubchenco, Deborah McArdle, Hugh P. Possingham, Mary Ruckelshaus, Robert R. WarnerApplication of ecological criteria in selecting marine reserves and developing reserve networks
Marine reserves are being established worldwide in response to a growing recognition of the conservation crisis that is building in the oceans. However, designation of reserves has been largely opportunistic, or protective measures have been implemented (often overlapping and sometimes in conflict) by different entities seeking to achieve different ends. This has created confusion among both usersAuthorsCallum M. Roberts, George Branch, Rodrigo H. Bustamante, Juan Carlos Castilla, Jenifer Dugan, Benjamin S. Halpern, Kevin D. Lafferty, Heather Leslie, Deborah McArdle, Mary Ruckelshaus, Robert R. WarnerMarine reserve design for conservation and fisheries management: a case study from the California Channel Islands
Five races of cottontail rabbits belonging to three species occur in Virginia. One of them, the Mearns cottontail (Sylvilagus floridanus mearnsi), is reported here for the first time. It occurs in six southwestern counties of the state, while the eastern cottontail (S. f. mallurus) occurs in the remainder of the state with the exception of Smith and Fishermans islands off the eastern coast of CapAuthorsS.J. Airame, E. Dugan, K. D. Lafferty, H.M. Leslie, D.A. McArdle, R.R. Warner - 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