Charlotte Narr
Assistant Professor
My research examines the causes and consequences of patterns in freshwater nutrient availability. Drawing from the fields of ecological stoichiometry, biogeochemistry, and disease ecology, I examine how traits of organisms respond to and shape the nutrient dynamics around them. Parasites are fascinating study subjects for this because their life history traits are relatively flexible, and they can exert strong effects on the life history traits of their hosts. My research detangles the complex interplay between parasites, their hosts, and nutrients using a combination of experiments and field studies.
Predicting the effects of nutrient inputs from humans on this interplay is a pressing issue. I work to mitigate negative anthropogenic effects on freshwater nutrient availability by studying the effects of infrastructure and land use on freshwater ecosystems across multiple spatial scales.
Education
B.S., University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire; M.S., University of Wyoming; Ph.D., Trent University; Postdoctoral, National Research Council/Environmental Protection Agency
Courses taught
Zoology 414 (Freshwater Invertebrates)
Areas of interest
Freshwater Ecology, Nutrient Cycling, Disease Ecology
Selected Recent Publications
Narr C.F., A.C. Krist. 2020. Improving estimates of richness, habitat associations, and assemblage characteristics of freshwater gastropods. Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 30(1):131-143
Narr C.F., A. Keeley, B. Faulkner, H. Singh, D. Beak, P. Mayer, K. Forshay. 2019. Quantifying the effects of surface conveyance of treated wastewater effluent on groundwater, surface water, and nutrient dynamics in a large river floodplain. Ecological Engineering. 129:123-133
Narr, C.F., D. Ebert, G. Bastille-Rousseau, P.C. Frost. 2019. Prevalence and load of a microsporidian parasite is correlated with rock pool nutrient concentrations. Journal of Animal Ecology. 88(4):570-590
Narr, C.F. and P.C. Frost. 2016. Exploited and excreting: Parasite type affects host nutrient recycling. Ecology. 97(8):2012-2020
Narr, C.F. and P.C. Frost. 2015. Does infection tilt the scales? Disease effects on the mass-balance of an invertebrate nutrient recycler. Oecologia. 179(4):969-979
Narr, C. F. and A.C. Krist. 2015. Host diet alters trematode replication and elemental composition. Freshwater Science. 34(1):81-89
For more information on my research program, please visit my website.