Lab 2, #4
Box: 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd.
Beaufort, NC 28516
Phone: 305-766-4856
Fax: 252-504-7648
E-mail: kln3@duke.edu

Research Interests:

• Coral reef ecology
• Reef fish behavior
• Reef fish recruitment to artificial reefs and temperate systems

Education:

• B.A. Environmental Biology. University of Colorado, Boulder

Bio:
I grew up in Colorado with a passion for the outdoors and an unexplainable love of the ocean. Following my undergraduate work, I spent four years doing research on dolphin behavior, oyster mortality, sea turtle nesting, and fish predation on corals. I also taught marine science camps from Australia to Boston to the Florida Keys.

My work at DUML seeks to understand the implications of declining coral health. Bleaching, disease, and other disturbances have caused massive dieoffs of corals, but the effects of this mortality on reef fish and invertebrates, whether through cascading food web effects, chemical signaling, or other means, is unknown. I am studying fish habitat preferences, colonization of artificial reefs, and changes in species abundances in relation to bleaching events in an attempt to shed light on this question.

Hobbies:
On the water: SCUBA, sailing, swimming, you name it.
In the snow: Skiing, sledding, skating, etc.
Bad weather: reading, flute playing