Krista Capps

Primary Research Interests:
Linking biodiversity and ecosystem function, ecosystem ecology, freshwater ecology, biogeochemistry, invasion ecology, conservation biology, community ecology, tropical ecology, and natural resource management

My research is focused on understanding the effects of animals on ecosystem function. As a postdoctoral research fellow with the Sustainability Solutions Initiativee, I will be working in conjunction with the labs of Aram Calhoun and Mac Hunter to understand the ecosystem services provided by vernal pool amphibians. Specifically, my research will elucidate the functional role of salamanders and frogs in nutrient and carbon transport across forested ecosystems in Maine.

Other Interests: 
Outreach and education to promote effective conservation strategies, Latin American studies, international development, and undergraduate education through inquiry-based, experiential, and service learning

Education:
Ph.D., Cornell University (2012), Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
M.S., Indiana University (2002), Environmental Science
B.S., Hope College (1998), Biology and Political Science

Selected Publications:

Capps, K. A., L. G. Nico, M. Mendoza Carranza, W. Areválo-Frías A. J. Ropicki, S. A. Heilpern*, and R. Rodiles-Hernández. 2011. Salinity tolerance of the exotic armored catfish (Siluriformes: Loricariidae) in southern Mexico: potential new pathways for invasion. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 21: 528-540.

Capps, K. A., M. T. Booth, S. M. Collins, M. A. Davison, J. M. Moslemi, R. W. El-Sabaawi, J. L. Simonis, and A. S. Flecker. 2011. Nutrient diffusing substrata: a field comparison of commonly used methods to assess nutrient limitation. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 30: 522-532. 

Capps, K. A., M. A. S. Graça, A. C. Encalada, and A. S. Flecker. 2010. Leaf-litter decomposition across three flooding regimes in a seasonally flooded Amazonian watershed. Journal of Tropical Ecology 27: 205-210.

Capps, K. A., M. A. Davision, Y. A. Kapetanakos, J. M. Moslemi, and C. E. Wagner. 2009. Crossing borders: promoting graduate research in the developing world. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 7: 333-334.

Moslemi, J. M., K. A. Capps, M. S. Johnson, J. Maul, P. B. McIntyre, A. M. Melvin, T. M. Vadas, D. M. Vallano, J. M. Watkins, and M. Weiss. 2009. Training tomorrow's environmental problem-solvers: an integrative approach to graduate education. Bioscience 59: 514-521.

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