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College of Liberal Arts and Sciences University of Florida

Karen Anne Bjorndal

Distinguished Professor

bjorndal

Ph.D. University of Florida, 1979

320 Carr Hall
(352) 392-1126

Research Interests

I have two research fields: nutritional ecology with an emphasis on vertebrate herbivores and the biology of sea turtles. My nutritional ecology research focuses on how and to what extent nutrition acts as a controlling mechanism on an organism’s growth and reproductive output. I am also interested in the interrelationships of diet selection, digestive processing, gut fermentations, and gut morphology. My sea turtle research interests are very broad, but studies are integrated into two themes: the past and present roles of sea turtles in marine ecosystems and connectivity of sea turtle populations in the Atlantic. I am particularly interested in studies of foraging ecology, growth, and demography.

Representative Publications

  • Bjorndal, K.A., B.W. Bowen, M. Chaloupka, L.B. Crowder, S.S. Heppell, C.M. Jones, M.E. Lutcavage, D. Policansky, A.R. Solow, and B.E. Witherington.  2011.  From crisis to opportunity: Better science needed for restoration in the Gulf of Mexico.  Science 331:537-538.
  • Vander Zanden, H.B., K.A. Bjorndal, K.J. Reich, and A.B. Bolten.  2010.  Individual specialists in a generalist population: results from a long-term stable isotope series.  Biology Letters 6:711-714.
  • Bjorndal, K.A. and A.B. Bolten.  2010.  Hawksbill sea turtles in seagrass pastures:  success in a peripheral habitat.  Marine Biology 157:135-145.
  • Pajuelo, M., K.A. Bjorndal, J. Alfaro-Shigueto, J.A. Seminoff, J.C. Mangel, and A.B. Bolten.  2010.  Stable isotope variation in loggerhead turtles reveals Pacific-Atlantic oceanographic differences.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 417:277-285.
  • National Research Council.  2010.  Assessment of sea-turtle status and trends: integrating demography and abundance.  National Academies Press, Washington, DC.  162 pages.  Authors:  K.A. Bjorndal (chair), B.W. Bowen, M. Chaloupka, L.B. Crowder, S.S. Heppell, C.M. Jones, M.E. Lutcavage, D. Policansky, A.R. Solow, and B.E. Witherington.
  • Roark, A.M., K.A. Bjorndal, and A.B. Bolten.  2009.  Compensatory responses to food restriction in juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas).  Ecology 90:2524–2534.
  • Roark, A.M. and K.A. Bjorndal.  2009.  Metabolic rate depression is induced by caloric restriction and correlates with rate of development and lifespan in a parthenogenetic insect. Experimental Gerontology 44:413–419.
  • Bjorndal, K.A. and A.B. Bolten.  2008.  Annual variation in source contributions to a mixed stock:  implications for quantifying connectivity.  Molecular Ecology 17:2185–2193.
  • Pfaller, J.B., C.J. Limpus, and K.A. Bjorndal.  2008.  Nest-site selection in individual loggerhead turtles and consequences for doomed-egg relocation.  Conservation Biology 23:72–80.
  • Reich, K.J., K.A. Bjorndal, and A.B. Bolten. 2007. The lost years of green turtles: using stable isotopes to study cryptic lifestages. Biology Letters 3:712–714.
  • Moran, K.L. and K.A. Bjorndal. 2005. Simulated green turtle grazing affects structure and productivity of seagrass pastures. Marine Ecology Progress Series 305:235-247.
  • Pryor, G.S. and K.A. Bjorndal.  2005.  Effects of the nematode Gyrinicola batrachiensis on development, gut morphology, and fermentation in bullfrog tadpoles (Rana catesbeiana): A novel mutualism.  Journal of Experimental Zoology 303A:704-712.
  • Tiwari, M., K.A. Bjorndal, A.B. Bolten, and B.M. Bolker.  2005.  Intraspecific application of the mid-domain effect model: spatial and temporal nest distributions of green turtles, Chelonia mydas, at Tortuguero, Costa Rica.  Ecology Letters 8:918–924

Current Graduate Students

Name Email Research Interests
Robert Johnson johnson.robert@ufl.edu Green turtles and seagrass ecosystems
Mariela Pajuelo mpajuelo@ufl.edu Sea turtle migrations & foraging ecology
Joe Pfaller jpfaller@ufl.edu Systematics and ecology of rafting crabs
Luciano Soares lsoares@ufl.edu Hybridization in sea turtle populations

Current Postdocs and Visitors

Name Email Research Interests
Marco García Cruz marcogarciacruz@gmail.com Biology of Aves Island green turtles