Kathryn L. Cottingham
Dartmouth Professor in the Arts & SciencesProfessor, Department of Biological SciencesProfessor, Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society (EEES) Graduate ProgramFellow, Ecological Society of AmericaEditor-in-Chief, Ecology
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 either biostatistics (Biology 29, EEES 127) or ecological research (Biology 22).
Courses
Selected Publications
Broadley, H.J., K.L. Cottingham, N.A. Baer, K.C. Weathers, H.A. Ewing, R. Chaves-Ulloa, A.M. Wilson, J. Chickering, J. Shrestha, and C.Y. Chen. 2019. Factors affecting MeHg bioaccumulation in stream biota: the role of dissolved organic carbon and diet. Ecotoxicology 28(8):949-963. DOI 10.1007/s10646-019-02086-2
Vacca, A.J. and K.L. Cottingham. 2019. No detectable changes in crayfish behavior due to sublethal dietary methylmercury exposure. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 182:109440.
Nachman, K.E., T Punshon, L. Rardin, A.J. Signes-Pastor, C.J. Murray, B.P. Jackson, M.L. Guerinot, T.A. Burke, C.Y. Chen, H. Ahsan, M. Argos, K.L. Cottingham, F. Cubadda, G.L. Ginsberg, B.C. Goodale, M. Kurzius-Spencer, A.A. Meharg, M.D. Miller, A.E. Nigra, C.B. Pendergrast, A. Raab, K. Reimer, T. Schwerdtle, V.F. Taylor, E.J. Tokar, T.M. Warczak, and M.R. Karagas. 2018. Opportunities and challenges for dietary arsenic intervention. Environmental Health Perspectives 126(8):084503. DOI 10.1289/EHP3997
Signes-Pastor, A.J., K.L. Cottingham, M. Carey, V. Sayarath, T. Palys, A.A. Meharg, C.L. Folt, and M.R. Karagas. 2018. Infants’ dietary arsenic exposure during transition to solid food. Scientific Reports 8(1):7114. DOI 10.1038/s41598-018-25372-1
Cottingham, K.L., S.B. Fey, K.J. Fritschie, and J.V. Trout-Haney. 2017. Advancing ecosystem science by promoting greater use of theory and multiple research approaches in graduate education. Ecosystems 20:267-273. DOI 10.1007/s10021-016-0070-3
Cubadda, F., B.P. Jackson, K.L. Cottingham, Y. Ornelas van Horne, and M. Kurzius-Spencer. 2017. Human exposure to dietary inorganic arsenic and other arsenic species: state of knowledge, gaps and uncertainties. Science of the Total Environment 579:1228-1239. DOI 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.11.108
Wilson, R.S., D.J. Hardisty, R.S. Epanchin-Niell, M.C. Runge, K.L. Cottingham, D.L. Urban, L.A. Maguire, A. Hastings, P.J. Mumby, and D.P.C. Peters. 2016. A typology of timescale mismatches and behavioral interventions to diagnose and solve conservation problems. Conservation Biology 30(1):42-49. DOI 10.1111/cobi.12632
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
August 2014: Delivered the Scientific Plenary talk at the Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting, Sacramento, CA: "Wearing an ecologist’s hat and facing a world of change"
Selected Works and Activities
Cyanobacterial blooms in low-nutrient lakes - including analysis with satellite remote sensing, drones, and autonomous surface vehicles
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