Marine mammal ecology and evolution

We use modern and ancient DNA to explore how whale and other marine megafauna have responded to climatic changes in the past and whaling. This work is highly integrative in nature, combining genomic data with predictive habitat modeling, isotopic data, and population modeling. It is also highly collaborative – we work with partners and colleagues at the Max Planck Institute, Wildlife Conservation Society, and other institutions.

Recent publications:

McKeon, C.S., Weber, M.X., Alter, S.E., Seavy, N.E., Crandall, E.D., Barshis, D., Fechter-Leggett, E.D., Oleson, K.L. In press. Melting barriers to faunal exchange across ocean basins. Global Change Biology.

Alter, S.E., M. Meyer, K. Post, P. Czechowski, P. Gravlund, C. Gaines, H.C. Rosenbaum, K. Kaschner, S. T. Turvey, J. van der Plicht, B. Shapiro, M. Hofreiter. 2015. Climate impacts on trans-ocean dispersal and habitat in gray whales from the Pleistocene to 2100. Molecular Ecology 24(7): 1510-1522.

Alter, S.E., H.C. Rosenbaum, L.D. Postma, P. Whitridge, C. Gaines, D. Weber, M.G. Egan, M. Lindsay, G. Amato, L. Dueck, R.L. Brownell Jr., M. Heide-Jorgensen, K.L. Laidre, G. Caccone, B. Hancock. 2012. Gene flow on ice: The role of sea ice and whaling in shaping Holarctic genetic diversity and population differentiation in bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). Ecology and Evolution 2(11):2895-2911.

Alter, S.E., S. Newsome, and S.R. Palumbi. 2012. Pre-whaling genetic diversity and population ecology in eastern Pacific gray whales: insights from ancient DNA and stable isotopes. PLoS ONE 7(5): e35039. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0035039

Alter, S.E., M.P. Simmonds and J.R. Brandon. 2010. Forecasting the consequences of climate-driven shifts in human behavior on cetaceans. Marine Policy 34:943-954.

Alter, S.E. and S.R. Palumbi. 2009. A comparative analysis of patterns of molecular evolution in cytochrome-b and the control region in baleen whales. Journal of Molecular Evolution 68:97-111.

Alter, S.E., S. Flores Ramirez, S Nigenda, J Urbán Ramirez, L Rojas Bracho, SR Palumbi. 2008. Mitochondrial and nuclear genetic variation across calving lagoons in Eastern North Pacific gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus). Journal of Heredity 100:34-46. doi: 10.1093/jhered/esn090.

Alter, S.E., E. Rynes, and S.R. Palumbi. 2007. DNA evidence for historic population size and past ecosystem impacts of gray whales. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 104:15162-15167.

❧

Other Projects

Diversification in rockfishes (Sebastes spp): ecological and evolutionary genomics

Understanding the evolutionary mechanisms that generate biodiversity is crucial for conserving species – however, we lack a thorough understanding o...

Evolution, population genetics and speciation in African freshwater fishes

We study the origins of fish diversity in African rivers and lakes, with a current focus on some of the most extreme aquatic environments found on th...

eDNA to assess aquatic diversity

Species monitoring is extremely important to designing management strategies for protecting biodiversity, but traditional survey methods are often ex...

Adaptation to urban living in fishes

The scaliest New Yorkers have evolved in various ways to cope with the stresses of city life. These urban fish can tolerate pollution and bacterial lo...

The Alter Lab Dr. Elizabeth Alter

Marine Evolutionary and Ecological Genetics

California State University Monterey Bay — Biology and Chemistry Department