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Charlotte Narr

Charlotte Narr, Assistant Professor

Zoology

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.

SIU Charlotte Narr 326 Life Science II
618-453-4109
charlotte.narr@siu.edu

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.