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Dr. Kara Andres

Assistant Professor of Ecology of Human Impacted Systems
Office
SLB Science Laboratory Building 341
  • About
  • Education
  • Selected Research

Biography

Dr. Kara Andres earned her B.S. in Biology from Missouri State University, M.S. in Biology from Saint Louis University, and Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology from Cornell University. She completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship with the Living Earth Collaborative at Washington University in St. Louis prior to joining the School of Biological Sciences in Fall 2024.

Current Courses

BSC 499.002 Independent Research For The Master's Thesis

BSC 280.001 Conservation Of Animal And Plant Biodiversity

BSC 299.006 Independent Honor Study

BSC 499.002 Independent Research For The Master's Thesis

BSC 400.001 Independent Study

BSC 290.005 Research In Biological Sciences

BSC 420.001 Seminar In Conservation Biology

Teaching Interests & Areas

Conservation Biology, Freshwater ecology, Biodiversity

Research Interests & Areas

My research interests are broadly focused on conserving aquatic ecosystems and biodiversity. I am particularly interested in the ecological consequences of global change and the spread of aquatic invasive species in freshwater systems. A large portion of my research uses molecular approaches to study aquatic biodiversity, population genetics, and host-microbe interactions.

Post-Doc Living Earth Collaborative

Washington University in St. Louis
St. Louis, MO

PhD Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Cornell University
Ithaca, NY

MS Biology

Saint Louis University
St. Louis, MO

BS Biology

Missouri State University
Springfield, MO

Journal Article

Life stage and vaccination shape the gut microbiome of hatchery-reared Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) intended for river stocking
Kara Andres, Bingdi Liu, Lauren E. Johnson, Kevin L. Kapuscinski, Ashley H. Moerke, Fangqiong Ling, Jason H. Knouft.
Aquaculture, 594, 741469, (2025), 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2024.741469
Combining sampling gear to optimally inventory species highlights the efficiency of eDNA metabarcoding
Kara J Andres, Timothy D. Lambert, David M. Lodge, Jose Andrés, James R. Jackson.
Environmental DNA, 5 (1), 146-157, (2023), 10.1002/edn3.366
Detecting and analysing intraspecific genetic variation with eDNA: From population genetics to species abundance
Kara Andres, David M. Lodge, Suresh A. Sethi, Jose Andrés.
Molecular Ecology, 32 (15), 4118-4132, (2023), 10.1111/mec.17031
Environment and shipping drive environmental DNA beta‐diversity among commercial ports
Jose Andrés, Paul Czechowski, Erin Grey, Mandana Saebi, Kara Andres, Christopher Brown, Nitesh Chawla, James J. Corbett, Rein Brys, Phillip Cassey, Nancy Correa, Marty R. Deveney, Scott P. Egan, Joshua P. Fisher, Rian vanden Hooff, Charles R. Knapp, Sandric Chee Leong, Brian J. Neilson, Esteban M. Paolucci, Michael E. Pfrender, Meredith R. Pochardt, Thomas A. Prowse, Steven S. Rumrill, Chris Scianni, Francisco Sylvester, Mario N. Tamburri, Thomas W. Therriault, Darren C. Yeo, David M. Lodge.
Molecular Ecology, 32 (23), 6696-6709, (2023), 10.1111/mec.16888
Environmental DNA reveals the genetic diversity and population structure of an invasive species in the Laurentian Great Lakes
Kara Andres, David M. Lodge, Jose Andrés.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120 (37), (2023), 10.1073/pnas.2307345120
The potential for floral evolution in response to competing selection pressures following the loss of hawkmoth pollination in <i>Ruellia humilis</i>
John S. Heywood, Joseph S. Michalski, Braden K. McCann, Kara Andres, Allison R. Hall, Amber D. Hartman, Tessa C. Middleton, Amelia Chiles, Sarah E. Dewey, Cay A. Miller.
American Journal of Botany, 109 (11), 1875-1892, (2022), 10.1002/ajb2.16063
Nuclear eDNA estimates population allele frequencies and abundance in experimental mesocosms and field samples
Kara Andres, Suresh A. Sethi, David M. Lodge, Jose Andrés.
Molecular Ecology, 30 (3), 685-697, (2021), 10.1111/mec.15765
Seasonal habitat use indicates that depth may mediate the potential for invasive round goby impacts in inland lakes
Kara Andres, Suresh Andrew Sethi, Elizabeth Duskey, Jesse M. Lepak, Aaron N. Rice, Bobbi J. Estabrook, Kimberly B. Fitzpatrick, Ellen George, Benjamin Marcy‐Quay, Matthew R. Paufve, Kelly Perkins, Anne E. Scofield.
Freshwater Biology, 65 (8), 1337-1347, (2020), 10.1111/fwb.13502
Hydrology induces intraspecific variation in freshwater fish morphology under contemporary and future climate scenarios
Kara Andres, Huicheng Chien, Jason H. Knouft.
Science of The Total Environment, 671, 421-430, (2019), 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.292
Genetic and environmental integration of the hawkmoth pollination syndrome in Ruellia humilis (Acanthaceae)
John S. Heywood, Joseph S. Michalski, Braden K. McCann, Amber D. Russo, Kara Andres, Allison R. Hall, Tessa C. Middleton.
Annals of Botany, 119 (7), 1143-1155, (2017), 10.1093/aob/mcx003

Other

Segregating sites enhance accuracy of species abundance estimates from eDNA
Kara Andres.
Molecular Ecology Resources, (2025)