Professor and A.S. Leopold Chair in Wildlife Biology
Professor and A.S. Leopold Chair in Wildlife Biology
- Ph.D. Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, 2006
- M.S. Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, 2002
- B.S. Evolution and Ecology, University of California, Davis, 1999
Fish ecology, freshwater ecology, evolutionary ecology
We study the evolution, ecology, and conservation of freshwater fishes. We aim to do research that illuminates how evolution and ecology interact to shape wild populations and influence their persistence, particularly those exposed to anthropogenic (human) influences.
Some topics that we investigate include:
- Life history portfolios and stability
- Impacts of drought and climate change on inland fishes
- Ecological and evolutionary impacts of management (water, fishery, hatchery, protected area)
- Habitat mosaics and connectivity
- Evolutionary enlightened management
Much of our research is field-based and incorporates elements of behavioral, population, and community ecology. Our research combines various techniques including the tagging and tracking of individually-marked fish, experimental manipulations in the field, direct observations, comparative studies, and modeling. Recent work has been done in California, Alaska, and Norway.
Read more about our research on the Carlson Lab website.
Colombano, D.D., Carlson, S.M., Hobbs, J.A., and Ruhi, A. 2022. Four decades of climatic fluctuations and fish recruitment stability across a marine-freshwater gradient. Global Change Biology 28 (17): 5104-5120. doi/10.1111/gcb.16266
Rossi, G., Power, M.E., Carlson, S.M., and Grantham, T.E. 2022. Seasonal growth potential of Oncorhynchus mykiss in streams with contrasting prey phenology and streamflow. Ecosphere.
Chen, E., Galvez, J., Carlson, S.M. 2022 Towards building a more diverse and inclusive culture in the fisheries classroom. Fisheries. http://doi.org/10.1002/fsh.10814
Kelson, S.J., Miller, M.R., Thompson, T.Q., O’Rourke, S.M., and Carlson, S.M. 2020. Temporal dynamics of migration-linked genetic variation are driven by streamflows and riverscape permeability. Molecular Ecology 29: 870-885. doi.org/10.1111/mec.15367
Fernández-Chacón, A. Villegas-Ríos, D., Moland, E., Baskett, M.L., Olsen, E.M., and Carlson, S.M. 2020. Protected areas buffer against harvest selection and rebuild phenotypic complexity. Ecological Applications 30(5): e02108. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.2108
Vander Vorste, R., Obedzinski, M., Nossman-Pierce, S., Carlson, S.M., and Grantham, T.E. 2020. Refuges and ecological traps: extreme drought threatens persistence of an endangered fish in intermittent streams. Global Change Biology 26: 3834-3845.
Sturrock, A.M., Satterthwaite, W., Yoshida, K.M., Huber, E.R., Sturrock, H.J.W., Nusslé, S., Carlson, S.M. 2019. Eight decades of hatchery salmon releases in the California Central Valley: Factors influencing straying and resilience. Fisheries 44: 433-444.
Radinger, J., Britton, J.R., Carlson, S.M., Magurran, A.E., Alcaraz-Hernández, J.D., Almodóvar, A., Benejam, L., Fernández-Delgado, C., Nicola, G.G., Oliva-Paterna, F.J., Torralva, M., and García-Berthou, E. 2019. Effective monitoring of freshwater fish. Fish and Fisheries 20: 729– 747. https://doi.org/10.1111/faf.12373
Bogan, M.T., Leidy, R.A., Neuhaus, L., Hernandez, C.J., and Carlson, S.M. 2019. Biodiversity value of remnant pools in an intermittent stream during the great California drought. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 29:976–989.
Hwan, J.L., Fernández-Chacón, A., Buoro, M., and Carlson, S.M. 2018. Dry season survival of juvenile salmonids in an intermittent coastal stream. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 75: 746-758.
Hovel, R.A., Carlson, S.M., and Quinn, T.P. 2017. Climate change alters the reproductive phenology and investment of a lacustrine fish, the threespine stickleback. Global Change Biology 23: 2308–2320.
Satterthwaite, W.H. and Carlson, S.M. 2015. Weakening portfolio effect strength in a hatchery-supplemented Chinook salmon population complex. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 72: 1860-1875.
Carlson, S.M., Cunningham, C.J., and Westley, P.A.H. 2014. Evolutionary rescue in a changing world. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 29: 521-530.
Buoro, M. and Carlson, S.M. 2014. Life history syndromes: integrating dispersal through space and time. Ecology Letters 17: 756-767.
Carlson, S.M., and Satterthwaite, W.H. 2011. Weakened portfolio effect in a collapsed salmon population complex. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 68: 1579-1589.
McClure, M.M., Carlson, S.M., Beechie, T.J., Pess, G.R., Jorgenson, J.C., Sogard, S.M., Sultan, S.E., Holzer, D.M., Travis, J., Sanderson, B.L., Power, M.E., and Carmichael, R.W. 2008. Evolutionary consequences of habitat loss for Pacific anadromous salmonids. Evolutionary Applications 1: 300-318.
- Inducted as a Fellow of the American Fisheries Society - 2021.
- Elected as a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences - 2021.
- A.S. Leopold Chair in Wildlife Biology, UC-Berkeley - 7/2016 - present.
- Rose Hills Innovator Award - UC-Berkeley - 2014-17.
- Young Faculty/CE Specialist Award - College of Natural Resources, UC-Berkeley - 2013.
- Rising Star Distinguished Ecologist - Colorado State University, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology - 2011.
- Young Investigator Prize - American Society of Naturalists - 2010
- J. Frances Allen Scholarship - American Fisheries Society - 2005
- Fish Ecology (Spring Semesters)
- Freshwater Ecology (Spring Semesters through 2017, co-taught with Mary Power)
- Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands (Fall Semesters, co-taught with Mishler, Roderick, Looy, Finnegan, and Stillman)
- Wildlife & Conservation Biology Seminar (Fall and Spring Semesters, shared responsibility with Brashares and Middleton)
Contact details
Stephanie M. Carlson
By appointment
Updated 2023/01/17
130 Mulford Hall #3114
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-3114
USA