Marjorie Brooks
Associate Professor Emerita
I am interested in testing how multiple human stressors affect aquatic communities, and how we can alleviate those stressors so organisms and ecosystems can adapt to climate change. I also investigate the some fundamental aspects of the biogeochemistry of microbial communities meaning that I study a variety of aquatic systems in the lab and field. Some questions that I investigate include:
- How do beavers change nutrient cycling and ecosystem productivity in Yellowstone National Park?
- Can aeration and cooling alter the genetic expression of toxins by cyanobacteria to stop harmful algal blooms in lakes?
- Can the geochemical-microbial signatures in extreme environments (i.e. geysers and acid mine drainages) give us insights into the evolution of life on other Planets?
- How do amphibians respond to night time cooling when challenged by water pollution?
- How does marine geochemistry affect sea ducks?
Education
B.S. Natural Science/Mathematics, University of Wyoming; M.A. Anthropology, University of Wyoming; Ph. D. Zoology, University of Wyoming; Postdoctoral Associate, National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis (NCEAS), University of California, Santa Barbara.
Courses taught
Limnology (Zool 415), Multiple Stressors in Ecology (Zool 458), and Undergraduate Research in the Laboratory (Zool 496) and Field (Zool 497).
Areas of interest
Freshwater and marine biogeochemistry and aquatic ecology
Selected Recent Publications
Brooks, ML, JR Lovvorn, JH Behnke, and EM Anderson. 2021. Detecting silent stressors: Trace element effects on nutritional status of declining scoter ducks of Puget Sound, USA. Science of the Total Environment 766:144247.
Miller, MW, JR Lovvorn, AC Matz, RJ Taylor, CJ Latty, ML Brooks, and TE Hollmén. 2019. Interspecific patterns of trace elements in sea ducks: Can surrogate species be used in contaminants monitoring? Ecological Indicators 98:830-839.
Marshall, AC, JS Paul, ML Brooks, and LA Duram. 2017. Anglers’ perceptions and fish consumption risks in the Lower Tisza River Basin. Exposure and Health 9:197-211.
Hallman, TA, and M L Brooks. 2016. Metal-mediated climate susceptibility in a warming world: Larval and latent effects on a model amphibian. Environ Toxicol Chem 35:1872-1882.
Hallman, TA and ML Brooks. 2015. The deal with diel: temperature fluctuations, asymmetrical warming, and ubiquitous metals contaminants Environ Pollut 296:88-94
Weston, DP, D Schlenk, N Riar, M Lydy, and ML Brooks. 2015. Effects of pyrethroid insecticides in urban runoff on chinook salmon, steelhead trout, and their invertebrate prey. Environ Toxicol Chem 34:649-657
Geisler-Lee, J, ML Brooks, JR Gerfen, Q Wang, C Fotis, AJ Sparer, X Ma, RH Berg, M Geisler. 2014. Reproductive toxicity and life history study of silver nanoparticle effect, uptake and transport in Arabidopsis thaliana Nanomaterials 4:301-318
North, CA, JR Lovvorn, JM Kolts, ML Brooks, LW Cooper, JM Grebmeier, 2014. Deposit-feeder diets in the Bering Sea: implications for effects of climatic loss of sea ice-related microalgal blooms Ecol Applic 24:1525–1542
Landis, WG, JL Durda, ML Brooks, PM Chapman, CA Menzie, RG Stahl, JL Stauber. 2013. Ecological risk assessment in the context of global climate change Environ Toxicol Chem 32:79-92
Brooks, ML, E Fleishman, LR Brown, PW Lehman, I Werner, N Scholz, CL Mitchelmore, JR Lovvorn, ML Johnson, D Schlenk, S vanDrunick, JI Drever, DM Stoms, AE Parker, R Dugdale. 2012. Life Histories, Salinity Zones, and Sublethal Contributions of Contaminants to Pelagic Fish Declines Illustrated with a Case Study of San Francisco Estuary, California, USA Estuar Coasts 35:603-621
Scholz, NL, E Fleishman, L Brown, ML Brooks, CL Mitchelmore, I Werner, ML Johnson, D Schlenk. 2012. Pesticides and the decline of pelagic fishes in western North America’s largest estuarine ecosystem BioSci 62:428-434
Chapman, PM, WJ Adams, ML Brooks, CG Delos, SN Luoma, WA Maher, HM Ohlendorf, TS Presser, and DP Shaw, editors. 2010. Ecological Assessment of Selenium in the Aquatic Environment. CRC Press, London, New York. 339 pages
Clements, WH, ML Brooks, DR Kashian, and RE Zuellig. 2008. Changes in dissolved organic material determine exposure of stream benthic communities to UV-B radiation and heavy metals: implications for climate change Global Change Biol 14:2201-2214
Brooks, ML, DM McKnight, WH Clements. 2007. Photochemical control of copper complexation by dissolved organic matter in Rocky Mountain Streams, Colorado USA Limnol Oceanogr 52: 766-779