Office Hours
Tuesday & Thursday
10:00–11:30 am
232 Irving II
Lara Horstmann
Chair, Department of Marine Biology
Associate Professor
Fisheries Ecology
Marine Biology
Marine Mammals
College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences
232 Irving II
Fairbanks, AK 99775-7220
907-474-7724
907-474-7204 (fax)
lara.horstmann@alaska.edu
A Sletten, A Bryan, K Iken, J Olnes, L Horstmann. (2025). Microplastics in Spotted Seal Stomachs from the Bering and Chukchi seas in 2012 and 2020. Marine Pollution Bulletin 214, 117770.
M Keenan, N Misarti, L Horstmann, SG Crawford, T O'Hara, LD Rea, ... (2024). Total mercury concentrations in Steller sea lion bone: Variability among locations and elements. Marine Pollution Bulletin 203, 116471.
KK Mills, KPB Hildebrandt, KM Everson, L Horstmann, N Misarti, LE Olson. (2024). Ancient DNA indicates a century of overhunting did not reduce genetic diversity in Pacific Walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens). Scientific Reports 14 (1), 8257.
JCC George, GH Givens, L Horstmann, R Suydam, K Scheimreif, ... (2024). Reproductive parameters of Bering‐Chukchi‐Beaufort Seas bowhead whales. Marine Mammal Science 40 (2), e13079.
KD Rode, BD Taras, CA Stricker, TC Atwood, NP Boucher, GM Durner, ... (2023). Diet energy density estimated from isotopes in predator hair associated with survival, habitat, and population dynamics. Ecological Applications 33 (2), e2751.
GL Godfrey, L Horstmann, J Snyder, SJ Trumble. (2022). Toxic and essential trace element concentrations in Pacific walrus (Odobenus rosmarus divergens) skeletal muscle varies by location and reproductive status. Polar Biology 45 (7), 1271-1289.
MEK Smith, L Horstmann, R Stimmelmayr. (2022). Stable isotope differences of polar bears in the Southern Beaufort Sea and Chukchi Sea. The Journal of Wildlife Management 86 (5), e22225.
- Fisheries Ecology
- Marine Biology
- Marine Mammals
I am interested in broad-scale marine mammal ecology. Feeding ecology in particular
is a keystone piece of information to understand adaptation potential of marine mammals
and challenges that may arise. Dietary limitations can affect reproductive success,
compromise immune function, change exposure to new pathogens (i.e., parasites, contaminants),
and can therefore not only limit marine mammal population growth, but also potentially
introduce new threats to humans depending on them as a subsistence resource.
I focus my research on Arctic marine mammals, because (1) they are of cultural and
nutritional importance to subsistence users, (2) the Arctic is undergoing noticeable
change, and (3) planned oil and gas development in this habitat.
I am also working on a fish parasite, Ichthyophonus hoferi, in Chinook salmon, and its potential impact on pre-spawning mortality and fecundity.
- Microplastics in northern fur seals on St. Paul Island
- Microplastics in subsistence harvested bowhead whale tissues
- Microplastics and phthalate concentrations in subsistence harvested Chukchi Sea beluga whales
- Host and microbial contributions to wax ester lipid digestion in Arctic whales
- Maternal transfer of microplastics across the placenta in subsistence harvested spotted seals
