Research | My Site

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I use field and molecular methods to investigate potential evolutionary drivers of feather color in tidal marsh sparrows. My dissertation research on tidal marsh sparrows is part of the work of Genomic Ecology of Coastal Organisms (GECO), a collaborative project that seeks to understand genome to phenome relationships in these species. We also work in tandem with the Saltmarsh Habitat and Avian Research Program (SHARP), which has been studying tidal marsh sparrow populations since 2011. Tidal marsh sparrows are imperiled by rising sea levels, coastal development, and degradation of saltmarsh habitats. Work conducted by GECO seeks to understand the process of adaptation, which may help us understand how organisms will respond to environmental changes.

Publications

Hotopp, A.M., Olsen, B.J., Ishaq, S.L., Frey, S.D., Kovach, A.I., Kinnison, M.T., Gigliotti, F.N., Roeder, M.R., Cammen, K.M. 2024. Plumage microorganism communities of tidal marsh sparrows. iScience 27(1).

Ruskin, K.J., Clark, J.D., Hotopp, A., Kovach, A.I., Guido, N.A., Hernandez, D.L., Peña, C., Webb, S.N. and Shriver, W.G., 2023. New extralimital breeding records of saltmarsh sparrows (Ammospiza caudacuta) and Nelson's sparrows (Ammospiza nelsoni) and their implications. Ecology and Evolution, 13(9), p.e10532.

Ishaq, S.L., Hotopp, A. M., Silverbrand, S., Dumont, J.E., Michaud, A., MacRae, J. D., Stock, S.P., & Groden, E. 2021. Bacterial transfer from Pristionchus entomophagus nematodes to the invasive ant Myrmica rubra and the potential for colony mortality in coastal Maine. iScience 24(6).

Hotopp, K. P., Hotopp, A. M., Gorrell, M. R. 2020. North American River Otters Followed by Piscivorous Birds, and a River Otter Parental Distraction Display. Northeastern Naturalist.