An awesome moment: my first caecilian at Reserva Las Gralarias Ecuador!
About me: After personally witnessing dramatic declines and extinctions of several amphibian species in Panama and Ecuador,
I re-directed my career towards conservation research and education. I am now an Assistant Professor of Biology at Ohio Northern University, conducting research integrating field and molecular methodologies and introducing students to the multifaceted field of conservation science.
Through my research efforts I hope to improve our understanding of the role anthropogenic environmental change plays in depressing wildlife's ability to resist pathogen infections. I am particularly interested in how environmental change alters contemporary evolution of disease resistance in amphibian populations. I aim to determine the potential of captive breeding sensitive species, artificially selecting for pathogen resistance, and how differing environments may effect pathogen resistance of reintroduced populations long-term. Additionally I am interested in how captive management influences disease risk in a broad spectrum of species including endangered black rhinoceros and western lowland gorillas.
In conjunction with my research efforts to improve species conservation success, I am dedicated to conservation based grassroots educational outreach and land preservation programs in regions most vulnerable to threats on biodiversity. Please visit my research, teaching/outreach, and Las Gralarias Foundation pages for more detailed information.
I re-directed my career towards conservation research and education. I am now an Assistant Professor of Biology at Ohio Northern University, conducting research integrating field and molecular methodologies and introducing students to the multifaceted field of conservation science.
Through my research efforts I hope to improve our understanding of the role anthropogenic environmental change plays in depressing wildlife's ability to resist pathogen infections. I am particularly interested in how environmental change alters contemporary evolution of disease resistance in amphibian populations. I aim to determine the potential of captive breeding sensitive species, artificially selecting for pathogen resistance, and how differing environments may effect pathogen resistance of reintroduced populations long-term. Additionally I am interested in how captive management influences disease risk in a broad spectrum of species including endangered black rhinoceros and western lowland gorillas.
In conjunction with my research efforts to improve species conservation success, I am dedicated to conservation based grassroots educational outreach and land preservation programs in regions most vulnerable to threats on biodiversity. Please visit my research, teaching/outreach, and Las Gralarias Foundation pages for more detailed information.
News:
- Paper in Press! Gut microbiome composition is associated with cardiac disease in zoo-housed western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). FEMS Microbiology Letters. doi: 10.1093/femsle/fnx149
- I just returned from my Fulbright adventures in Ecuador! Such an amazing experience!
- Paper In Press! K. Krynak, D. Burke and M. Benard Effects of Rodeo™ herbicide on Acris blanchardi and the relationship to amphibian disease resistance. Journal of Herpetology.
- Alexa Wagner (Kent State University) and Alex LaValley's (Grand Valley State University) note on site fidelity in Anolis gemmosus is to be published March 2017 in Herpetological Review! Alexa and Alex conducted this study during the GVSU Tropical Biology and Conservation Study Abroad course this year at Reserva Las Gralarias. Congratulations on submitting your first manuscript!
- I am extremely happy to announce that I have accepted a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Biological and Allied Health Sciences at Ohio Northern University! I will begin my new position August 2016!
- The 2016 GVSU Tropical Ecology and Conservation class just returned from their awesome trip to Ecuador! Pictures coming soon!
- I was just awarded the Fulbright Postdoctoral/Early Career Fellowship (2016-2017) in Ecuador! So stoked! Check out my recent article in the Las Gralarias Foundation Newsletter regarding the project! http://lasgralariasfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/The-Hum-11.1.pdf
- Paper published in Biological Conservation! K. Krynak, D. Burke and M. Benard. Landscape and water characteristics correlate with immune defense trait differences across Blanchard’s cricket frog (Acris blanchardi) populations.
