Kristen J. Epp Ph.D. Candidate in Aquatic Resources Department of Biology Texas State University-San Marcos kristenepp@txstate.edu Curriculum Vitae

Advisor:   Caitlin Gabor, Ph.D.

Research Interests I consider myself a behavioral ecologist with a passion for salamanders. Currently my research is focused on predator-prey interactions and more specifically, predator recognition mechanisms. I am also interested in sexual selection, reproduction, and territoriality. Research on aquatic prey (mainly fish and amphibians) has shown that these species tend to exhibit  either an acquired or inherited predator recognition mechanism. An inherited recognition mechanism, where prey are born with the abitility to recognize and respond to predators, is common in systems where prey share a long evolutionary history with a stable  predatory community. Prey that do not exhibit inherited predator recognition can sometimes acquire it by learning to associate a conspecific alarm pheromone with a specific predator's cues (i.e. chemical, visual, etc.). If prey exhibiting inherited predator recognition mechanisms are unable to learn to recognize novel predatory cues, native prey can become easy targets for introduced predators. The Edwards Plateau region of central Texas houses a variey of salamander species endemic to specific spring-fed rivers and streams that issue from the Edwards Aquifer. Many of these species are federally listed and their habitats are under constant stress from human disturbance such as urban developement, pollution, or predator introductions. These biologically diverse habitats make the Edwards Plateau Eurycea ideal organisms for the study of predator recognition mechanisms.

The San Marcos salamander, Eurycea nana, is a federally threatened species endemic to and found only in the headwaters of the San Marcos River. This habitat is uniquely stable and many non-native predatory fish species have established thriving breeding populations here. As this species is paedomorphic, and thus, facultatively aquatic throughout its adult life, these introduced fish predators may be having adverse effects on the E. nana population.

A captive populations of E. nana is housed at the San Marcos National Fish Hatchery and Technology Center.

Exploring the interactions that E. nana has with its predators and its predator recognition mechanisms should lend valuable information about the effects that invasive predators may have on the population. Besides being ecologically interesting, this is important for species and habitat management of the Edwards Plateau Eurycea.

Other Salamander Pictures

Pictures of Places I've been

Research Pictures

Just for fun pictures (family, friends, pets, miscellaneous)