The Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies (YIBS) has selected Joseph Kiesecker, a doctoral candidate at Oregon State University, as its first Gaylord Donnelley Environmental Fellow. Mr. Kiesecker, who will receive his Ph.D. degree in zoology in May, will collaborate during his two-year Yale residency with David Skelly, assistant professor of ecology forestry at the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
Mr. Kiesecker will investigate the influence of fungal pathogens on the distribution of larval amphibians, and dynamics of their communities. His research will focus on two questions: What abiotic and biotic factors influence disease outbreaks, and how does the presence of pathogens interact with other factors to influence an organism's distribution?
"The goal of this research will be to understand how global and regional environmental change can cause stress on organisms, thus increasing the prevalence of disease and affecting local biodiversity," explains Mr. Kiesecker. The Donnelley Fellowship honors the memory of Gaylord Donnelley '31, a conservationist dedicated to advances in research and education. The fellowship was established by Mr. Donnelley's widow, Dorothy, and son, Strachan '64, and is funded by an endowment from the Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation and the Donnelley Family. It is intended for research in biodiversity or for research that combines biodiversity with public policy and conservation.