Kathryn L. Cottingham
Professor
Appointments
Dartmouth Professor in the Arts & Sciences
Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Professor, Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society (EEES) Graduate Program
Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
Fellow, Ecological Society of America
Editor-in-Chief, Ecology
Area of Expertise
community and ecosystem ecology,
environmental health and epidemiology,
quantitative biology and biostatistics
Biography
My research interests include the dynamics of lake plankton communities, linkages between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and the applications of ecological principles to public and environmental health. Lab members typically work collaboratively on topics of mutual interest using observations, experiments, and models. Our work often has a strong statistical component.
My teaching responsibilities reflect these interests, as my courses involve immersive, hands-on engagement with biostatistics (Biology 29, EEES 127), the ecology of infectious disease (Biology 50.02), and ecological research (Biology 22).
Education
B.A. Drew University
M.S. University of Wisconsin at Madison
Ph.D. University of Wisconsin at Madison
Taught Courses
Publications
Ghosh, S., K.L. Cottingham, and D.C. Reuman. 2021. Species relationships in the extremes and their influence on community stability. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B 376(1835):20200343. DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0343
Walter, J.A., L.G. Shoemaker, N.K. Lany, M.C.N. Castorani, S.B. Fey, J.C. Dudney, L. Gherardi, C. Portales-Reyes, A.L. Rypel, K.L. Cottingham, K.N. Suding, D.C. Reuman, and L.M. Hallett. 2021. The spatial synchrony of species richness and its relationship to ecosystem stability. Ecology 102(11):e03486. DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3486
Trout-Haney, J.V. and K.L. Cottingham. 2021. Microcystins in planktonic and benthic communities of Greenlandic lakes. Ecosphere 12(6):e03539. DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3539
Rubin, H.J., D.A. Lutz, B.G. Steele, K.L. Cottingham, K.C. Weathers, M.J. Ducey, M. Palace, K.M. Johnson, and J.W. Chipman. 2021. Remote sensing of lake water clarity: performance and transferability of both historical algorithms and machine learning. Remote Sensing 13(8):1434. DOI 10.3390/rs13081434
Cottingham, K.L., K.C. Weathers, H.A. Ewing, M.L. Greer, and C.C. Carey. 2021. Predicting the effects of climate change on freshwater cyanobacterial blooms requires consideration of the complete cyanobacterial life cycle. Journal of Plankton Research 43(1):10-19. DOI 10.1093/plankt/fbaa059
Trout-Haney, J.V., A.L. Ritger, and K.L. Cottingham. 2021. Benthic cyanobacteria of the genus Nostoc are a source of microcystins in Greenlandic lakes and ponds. Freshwater Biology 66:266-277. DOI 10.1111/fwb.13636
Cottingham, K.L., H.A. Ewing, M.L. Greer, C.C. Carey, and K.C. Weathers. 2015. Cyanobacteria as drivers of lake nitrogen and phosphorus cycling. Ecosphere 6(1):1. Available at http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/ES14-00174.1.
Speaking Engagements
Plenary talk at the 2014 Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting
Selected Works & Activities
Cyanobacterial blooms in low-nutrient lakes - including analysis with satellite remote sensing, drones, and autonomous surface vehicles
Human perceptions of these blooms
Methylmercury in the freshwater environment
Food borne exposure to arsenic during pregnancy and early childhood
Brook trout selection of nest sites and how that impacts population dynamics
Ecology of Lyme disease, particularly tick behavior and physiology
Misinformation about ticks and Lyme disease
Contact