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
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
*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