The Kurle Lab
Applied Conservation, Community Ecology, Foraging Interactions, Stable Isotope Biogeochemistry
University of California, San Diego, Division of Biological Sciences,
Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution Section

Ckurle@ucsd.edu

Publications
*Indicates student or post doc mentored by Dr. Kurle

 

 

35.   Hetherington, ED*, Kurle, CM, Popp, BN, and Seminoff, JA (in review) Re-examining trophic dead ends: stable isotope values link gelatinous zooplankton to leatherback turtles in the California Current. Marine Ecology Progress Series.

 

34.   Richardson, KM*, Iverson, JB, and Kurle, CM (2019) Marine subsidies cause gigantism of iguanas in the Bahamas. Oecologia. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00442-019-04366-4. (PDF) (Supplemental Material) Popular Media: Atlas Obscura

 

33.   Hetherington, ED*, Kurle, CM, Ohman, M, and Popp, BN (2019) Effects of chemical preservation on bulk and amino acid isotope values of organismal tissues. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. https://doi.org/10.1002/rcm.8408. (PDF)

 

32.   Hetherington, E*, Seminoff, JA, Popp, BN, Dutton, P, Robison, L, and Kurle, CM (2018) Linking oceanography to long-term trends in foraging ecology and demographics of a threatened species: an isotopic perspective. Oecologia. 188:1273-1285. (PDF) (Supplemental Material)

 

31.  Fleming, AH, Kellar, NM, Allen, CD, and Kurle, CM (2018) Combining stable isotope and hormone analyses in marine megafauna research and conservation. Frontiers in Marine Science, Special issue: Integrating Emerging Technologies into Marine Megafauna Conservation and Management. 5:338. Doi: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00338. (PDF)

 

30. Turner Tomaszewicz, CN*, Seminoff, JA, Avens, L, Goshe, LR, Rguez-Baron, JM, Peckham, SH, and Kurle, CM (2018) Expanding the coastal forager paradigm: Long-term pelagic habitat use by green turtles (Chelonia mydas) in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 587:217-234 (PDF) (Supplemental Material)

 

29. Turner Tomaszewicz, CN*, Seminoff, JA, St. Ledger, J, and Kurle, CM (2017) Stable isotope discrimination factors and between-tissue isotope comparisons for bone and skin from captive and wild green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas). Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. 31:1903-1914 (PDF)

 

28. Stewart, JD*, Rohner, CA, Araujo, G, Avila, J, Fernando, D, Forsgerg, K, Ponzo, A, Rambahiniarison, JM, Kurle, CM, and Semmens BX (2017) Trophic overlap in mobulid rays: insights from stable isotope analysis. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 580:131-151. (PDF)

 

27. Finkelstein, ME, Bakker, VJ, Copeland, H, Burnett, J, Jones, J, Brandt, J, and Kurle, CM (2017) Reply to Comment on “Terrestrial scavenging of marine mammals: cross-ecosystem contaminant transfer and potential risks to endangered California condors (Gymnogyps californianus).” Environmental Science and Technology. 51:5349-5350. (PDF) (PDF of comment by Meretsky and Snyder)

 

26. Hopkins, JB III*, Ferguson, J, Tyers, D, and Kurle, CM (2017) Selecting the best stable isotope mixing model to estimate diets of grizzly bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. PLOS One. 19 pp. doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0174903 (PDF)

 

25. Kurle, CM and McWhorter, J* (2017) Spatial and temporal variability within marine isoscapes: implications for interpreting stable isotope data from marine systems. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 568:31-45. (PDF) (Supplemental Material)

 

24. Turner Tomaszewicz, CN*, Seminoff, JA, Peckham, SH, and Kurle, CM (2017) Differential habitat use revealed in sea turtles using δ15N values from bone growth rings: implications for their survival. Journal of Animal Ecology. 86:694-704. (PDF) (Supplemental Material)

 

23. Kurle, CM (2016) The dangerous diet of coastal condors. Biosphere. 19:32-40 (PDF)

 

22. Kurle, CM, Bakker, V, Copeland, H, Burnett, J, Jones, J, Brandt, J, and Finkelstein, M (2016) Terrestrial scavenging of marine mammals: cross-ecosystem contaminant transfer and its potential risks to endangered California condors (Gymnogyps californianus). Environmental Science and Technology. 50:9114-9123 (PDF) (Supplemental Material)

Popular media on this work: Wired, Popular Science, Smithsonian, San Diego Union Tribune, KPBS, KPCC

 

21. Turner Tomaszewicz, CN*, Seminoff, JA, Ramirez, MD, and Kurle CM (2016) Techniques for extracting sequential annual bone growth layers for stable isotope analysis. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 7:556-564 (PDF)

 

20. Steinitz, R*, Lemm, JM, Pasachnik, SA, and Kurle, CM (2016) Diet-tissue stable isotope (Δ13C and Δ15N) discrimination factors for multiple tissues from terrestrial reptiles. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry. 30:9-21 (PDF)

 

19. Bowden, JJ*, Eskildsen, A, Hansen, RR, Olsen, K, Kurle, CM, and Høye, TT (2015) High-arctic butterflies become smaller with rising temperatures. Biology Letters. 11:20150574 (PDF)

Popular media on this work: Science Daily

 

18. Turner Tomaszewicz, CN* Seminoff, JA, Ramirez, MD, and Kurle CM (2015) Effects of demineralization on the stable isotope analysis of bone samples. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 29:1879-1888 (PDF) (Supp. Material)

 

17. Hopkins JB III* and Kurle CM (2015) Measuring the realized niches of animals using stable Isotopes: from rats to bears. Methods in Ecology and Evolution (PDF) (Supp. Material)

    Popular media on this work: Science Daily, Science Newsline, Examiner

 

16. Sherer, RD, Doll, AC, Rea, LD, Christ, AM, Stricker, CA, Witteveen, B, Kline, TC, Kurle, CM, and Wunder, MB (2015) Stable isotope values in pup vibrissae reveal geographic variation in diets of gestating Steller sea lions (Eumetopias jubatus). Marine Ecology Progress Series 527:261-274 (PDF)

 

15. Turner Tomaszewicz, CN*, Seminoff, JA, Avens, L, Goshe, LR, Peckham, SH, Rguez-Baron, JM, Bickerman, K, and Kurle CM (2015) Determining age and residency duration of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) at a North Pacific bycatch hotspot using skeletochronology. Biological Conservation 186:134-142 (PDF)

 

14. Walter, WD, Kurle, CM, Hopkins III, JB (2014) Applications of stable isotope analysis in mammalian ecology. Editorial for Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies Special Issue 50(3):287-290  (PDF)

 

13. Kurle, CM, Koch, PL, Tershy, BR, and Croll, DA (2014) The effects of sex, tissue type, and dietary components on stable isotope discrimination factors (Δ13C and Δ15N) in mammalian omnivores. Isotopes in Environmental and Health Studies, Special issue: Applications of stable isotope analysis in mammalian ecology 50(3):307-321 (PDF)

Supplemental Material: Methods Appendix, Figures, Tables
 

12. Parng, E*, Crumpacker, A, and Kurle, CM (2014) Stable carbon and nitrogen isotope discrimination factors for fur from four felid species. Journal of Mammalogy 95:151-159 (PDF)

 

11. Kurle, CM, Finkelstein, ME, Smith, KR, George, D, Ciani, D, Koch, PL, Smith, DR (2013) Stable nitrogen and carbon isotope discrimination factors for blood and feathers from California condor (Gymnogyps californianus) chicks and juveniles. The Condor 115:492-500 (PDF)

 

10. Kurle, CM, Kappel, CV, Hope, DD, and Lam, A* (2013) Invasion Status of Terrestrial Mammals on Uninhabited Islands within the San Juan Archipelago, Washington. Northwest Science 87:178-184 (PDF)

 

9. Kurle CM and Cardinale, BJ (2011) Ecological factors associated with the strength of trophic cascades in streams. Oikos 120:1897-1908 (PDF)

 

8. Kurle CM, Sinclair ES, Edwards AE, and Gudmundson CJ (2011) Temporal and spatial variation in the stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios of common marine prey species from Alaskan waters. Marine Biology 158:2389-2404 (PDF)

 

7. Kurle CM (2009) Interpreting temporal variation in omnivore foraging ecology via stable isotope modeling. Functional Ecology 23:733-744 (PDF)

Supplemental Material: Methods Appendix and Figures

 

6. Kurle CM, Croll DA, Tershy BT (2008) Introduced rats indirectly change marine intertidal communities from algae to invertebrate dominated. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 105:3800-3804 (PDF)

Popular articles on this research: National Geographic, MSNBC, Plenty Magazine

 

5. Kurle CM and Gudmundson CJ (2007) Regional differences in foraging of young-of-the-year Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus in Alaska: stable carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios in blood. Marine Ecology Progress Series 342:303-310 (PDF)

 

4. Newsome SD, Etnier MA, Kurle CM, Waldbaur JR, Chamberlain CP, and Koch PL (2007) Historic decline in primary productivity in western Gulf of Alaska and eastern Bering Sea: Isotopic analysis of northern fur seal teeth.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 332:211-224 (PDF)

 

3. Kurle CM and Worthy GAJ (2002) Stable nitrogen and carbon isotope ratios in multiple tissues of the northern fur seal Callorhinus ursinus: implications for dietary and migratory reconstructions. Marine Ecology Progress Series 236:289-300 (PDF)

 

2. Kurle CM (2002) Stable-isotope ratios of blood components from captive northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus) and their diet: applications for studying the foraging ecology of wild otariids. Canadian Journal of Zoology 80:902-909 (PDF)

 

1. Kurle CM and Worthy GAJ (2001) Stable isotope assessment of temporal and geographic differences in feeding ecology of northern fur seals (C. ursinus) and their prey. Oecologia 126:254-265 (PDF)

 

Technical Reports

 

4. Finkelstein, M and Kurle CM (2014) Examining long-range transport of Montrose DDE via marine mammals: evaluating risks to California condors. Final Report to the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program Trustee Council

 

3. Kurle CM (2006) Report on pre-assessment of intertidal sites on Unalaska Island, Alaska following the oil spill from the M/V Selendang Ayu. in J. Cubit, editor. Summary Report: M/V Selendang Ayu Oil Spill, Preassessment Surveys of Intertidal, Subtidal, and Anadromous Stream Habitats.  NOAA Damage Assessment Center. Long Beach, California

 

2. Kurle CM (2005) Description of the rocky intertidal communities and Norway rat behavior on Rat Island, Alaska in 2003.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Report. AMNWR 05/23.  Homer, Alaska (PDF)

 

1. Kurle CM and Loughlin TR (2001) The use of fatty acid signature profiles to obtain dietary and other information from otariids.  Steller Sea Lion Investigations, 2000. NOAA, NMFS, AFSC Processed Report 2001-05.  Seattle, Washington