Stephanie Carlson

Stephanie M. Carlson

Associate Professor

Education

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

Research Interests / Specializations:

Fish ecology, freshwater ecology, evolutionary ecology

Research Description:

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:

Evolution (and loss) of biodiversity among salmon populations
Ecology of intermittent streams
Ecology and conservation planning of urban streams
Bio-physical coupling in coastal estuaries
Ecological impacts of large-scale water management
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.

Selected Publications

Cervantes-Yoshida, K., Leidy, R.A., and Carlson, S.M. 2015. Contemporary land change alters fish communities in a San Francisco Bay drainage, California, U.S.A. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0141707.

Bogan, M.T., Hwan, J.L., and Carlson, S.M. 2015. High aquatic biodiversity in an intermittent coastal headwater stream at Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California. Northwest Science 89: 188-197.

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.

Carlson, S.M., Quinn, T.P., and Hendry, A.P. 2011. Eco-evolutionary dynamics in Pacific salmon. Heredity 106: 438-447.

Darimont, C.T., Carlson, S.M., Kinnison, M.T., Paquet, P.C., Reimchen, T.E., and Wilmers, C.C. 2009. Human predators outpace other agents of trait change. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106: 952-954.

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.

Carlson, S.M., and Quinn, T.P. 2007. Ten years of varying lake level and selection on size-at-maturity in sockeye salmon. Ecology 88: 2620-2629.

Carlson, S.M., Edeline, E., Vøllestad, L.A., Haugen, T.O., Winfield, I.J., Fletcher, J.M., James, J.B., and Stenseth, N.C. 2007. Four decades of opposing natural and human-induced artificial selection acting on Windermere pike (Esox lucius). Ecology Letters 10: 512-521.

Honors and Awards

- 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

Recent Teaching:

Fish Ecology (Spring Semesters)
Freshwater Ecology (Spring Semesters, co-taught with Mary Power)
Biology and Geomorphology of Tropical Islands (Fall Semesters, co-taught with Mishler, Resh, Roderick, and Stillman)
Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology Seminar (Fall and Spring Semesters, shared responsibility with Beissinger and Brashares)