Sarah Kyker
Phone: |
440.946.4400, ext. 264 |  |
E-mail: |
src10@cwru.edu | |
Title: |
Doctoral Candidate at Case Western Reserve University | |
Education: |
M.S. 2006, Case Western Reserve University B.A. 2003 Miami University, Botany B.S. 2003 Miami University, Secondary Education |
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Research Interests
My primary research interest is in microbial ecology and how environmental conditions affect the structure and function of microbial communities. For my master’s thesis I investigated microbial community structure in vernal pools and how human land use affects these communities. These small transitory ponds are created in the spring following snow melt and than dry in the transition from spring to summer. Over the course of their existence, vernal pools are in flux as seasonality and patterns of precipitation alter the physical and chemical properties of the pools. Therefore, these ecosystems can serve as a good model system in which to study microbial community changes in response to environmental fluctuations. My doctoral research has continued my work in vernal pools, and I am conducting a manipulative laboratory experiment in order to understand how environmental conditions affect the structure and function of microbial communities in vernal pools and how surrounding land-use can affect these properties. This work not only tests current theories of community ecology, but also characterizes the microbial species in an ecosystem where they traditionally have been understudied.
Recent Publications
Carrino-Kyker, S.R. and A.K. Swanson. 2008. Temporal and spatial patterns of eukaryotic and bacterial communities found in vernal pools. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 74(8): 2554-2557.
Smith-Huerta, N.L., S.R. Carrino-Kyker, and A.J. Huerta. 2007. The effects of maternal and paternal nutrient status on pollen performance in the wildflower Clarkia unguiculata Lindley (Onagraceae). Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 134: 451-457.
Carrino-Kyker S.R. and A.K. Swanson. 2007. Seasonal physicochemical characteristics of thirty Northern Ohio temporary pools along gradients of GIS-delineated human land-use. Wetlands 27: 749-760.
