Vanessa von Biela, Ph.D.
Aquatic ecology; environmental impacts on growth; population dynamics; life history; physiological ecology; phenotypic plasticity
Biography
Education
Ph.D. 2015 University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK Fisheries
M.S. 2007 University of Alaska, Anchorage, AK Biological Sciences
B.S. 2004 University of California, Santa Barbara, CA Zoology
Professional Experience
2011- Present Research Fishery Biologist, USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2007 - 2010 Fishery Biologist, USGS Alaska Science Center, Anchorage, Alaska
2005 - 2007 Research Assistant, University of Alaska Anchorage
2007 Marine Mammal and Bird Observer, USFWS
2006 Marine Mammal Observer, LGL Alaska Research
2004 - 2005 Teaching Assistant, University of Alaska Anchorage
2003 - 2004 Rehabilitation Supervisor, Santa Barbara Marine Mammal Center
2003 - 2004 Hearst Scholar, Santa Barbara Natural History Museum
Professional Activities and/or Memberships
Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology
American Fisheries Society
Society of Marine Mammalogy
The Wildlife Society
2005-2006 Student Representitive, UAA Graduate Academic Board
2005-2007 Chair, UAA Graduate Student Association
Honors and/or Awards
- 2009 Star (Special Thanks for Achievement) Award from USGS Biology Chief 2008 USGS Performance Award 2007 Graduate Hooding Ceremony invited speaker
- 2006 NSF EPSCoR Student Travel Award
- 2006 Kodiak Whalefest invited speaker
- 2005 NSF EPSCoR Student Travel Award
Science and Products
Lake trout otolith chronologies as multidecadal indicators of high-latitude freshwater ecosystems
High-latitude ecosystems are among the most vulnerable to long-term climate change, yet continuous, multidecadal indicators by which to gauge effects on biology are scarce, especially in freshwater environments. To address this issue, dendrochronology (tree-ring analysis) techniques were applied to growth-increment widths in otoliths from lake...
Black, B.A.; von Biela, Vanessa R.; Zimmerman, Christian E.; Brown, Randy J. Terrestrial and marine trophic pathways support young-of-year growth in a nearshore Arctic fish
River discharge supplies nearshore communities with a terrestrial carbon source that is often reflected in invertebrate and fish consumers. Recent studies in the Beaufort Sea have documented widespread terrestrial carbon use among invertebrates, but only limited use among nearshore fish consumers. Here, we examine the carbon source and diet of...
von Biela, Vanessa R.; Zimmerman, Christian E.; Cohn, Brian R.; Welker, Jeffrey M. Long-term increases in young-of-the-year growth of Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis and environmental influences
Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis young-of-year (YOY) growth was used as a proxy to examine the long-term response of a high-latitude fish population to changing climate from 1978 to 2004. YOY growth increased over time (r2 = 0·29) and was correlated with monthly averages of the Arctic oscillation index, air temperature, east wind speed,...
von Biela, Vanessa R.; Zimmerman, Christian E.; Moulton, L. L. Long-term increases in young-of-the-year growth of Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis and environmental influences
Arctic cisco Coregonus autumnalis young‐of‐year (YOY) growth was used as a proxy to examine the long‐term response of a high‐latitude fish population to changing climate from 1978 to 2004. YOY growth increased over time (r2 = 0·29) and was correlated with monthly averages of the Arctic oscillation index, air temperature, east wind...
von Biela, Vanessa R.; Zimmerman, Christian E.; Moulton, L.L. Phenotypic plasticity in age at first reproduction of female northern sea otters (Enhydra lutris kenyoni)
Life-history theory predicts that within a species, reproduction and survival rates will differ among populations that differ in resource availability or predation rates through phenotypic plasticity. When populations are near carrying capacity (K) or when they are declining due to reduced prey resources, the average age at 1st reproduction (...
von Biela, Vanessa R.; Gill, V.A.; Bodkin, James L.; Burns, Jennifer M. Determining the pattern of cementum annuli and relationship to reproduction in male sea otters
Since the early 1990s, the southwestern Alaskan sea otter (Enhydra lutris) population has declined dramatically and the cause has yet to be determined. Population trajectories of large mammals are determined by three factors: survival rate, reproduction rate, and age of first reproduction (AFR). Of these three, AFR should respond first to...
Proper, Josh; von Biela, Vanessa R.; Burns, Jennifer M. Analysis of the sea otter (Enhydra lutris) reproductive tract: A methods manual
Reproduction in the female sea otter, Enhydra lutris, was relatively unstudied until Sinha et al. (1966) examined 140 reproductive tracts collected 1955-62 and used their findings to describe sea otter reproductive anatomy and biology. Two years later Sinha and Conaway (1968) published a more detailed paper on the ovary of the sea otter. These...
von Biela, Vanessa R.; Gill, Verena A.