Stephanie Carlson

Stephanie M. Carlson

Professor and A.S. Leopold Chair in Wildlife Biology

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
Impacts of drought and climate change on streams
Ecological and evolutionary impacts of management (water, fishery, hatchery, protected area)
Connectivity and migration
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

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.

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

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.

Honors and Awards

- 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

Recent Teaching:

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, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology Seminar (Fall and Spring Semesters, shared responsibility with Beissinger, Brashares, and Middleton)