Kevin G. McCracken
Associate Professor
Institute of Arctic Biology & Department of Biology and Wildlife
University of Alaska Museum
Kevin G. McCracken Associate Professor Institute of Arctic Biology & Department of Biology and Wildlife University of Alaska Museum |
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| Education: | |||
| Louisiana State University - Ph.D. 1999 | |||
| University of Notre Dame - B.S. 1994 | |||
| Research Interests: | |||
| Population genetics and molecular evolution; high-altitude adaptation in the Andes; waterfowl. | |||
| Our research in the Andes focuses on the parallel evolution and adaptive properties of hemoglobins of South American ducks that have independently colonized the same high-altitude, low-oxygen alpine wetland environments (oxygen pressure is 60% of sea level at 4,000 meters). This model system presents an unparalleled opportunity to study the population genetics of adaptation of oxygen binding and delivery in a set of closely related but phylogenetically independent lineages. Other projects being undertaken in our lab focus on population genetics studies of Holarctic dabbling ducks and sea ducks. We also collaborate with numerous researchers on studies of parasites (e.g., lice) and avian influenza (AI) viruses. | |||
| Lecture Course Links: | |||
| BIOL 362 Principles of Genetics | |||
| BIOL 615 Systematic & Comparative Biology | |||
| BIOL 693 Modern Synthesis of Evolution | |||
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| People in the Lab: | |||
| Robert Wilson | Ph.D. Candidate | ||
| Chris Barger | M.S. Student | ||
| John Pearce | Ph.D. Candidate | ||
| Travis Booms | Ph.D. Candidate | ||
| Mariana Bulgarella | Ph.D. Student | ||
| Jeff Peters | Postdoc | ||
| Andrew Moore | Undergraduate | ||
| Past Lab Members: | |||
| Jen Schmidt | Ph.D. 2007 | ||
| Sarah Sonsthagen | Ph.D. 2006 - Smithsonian Institution | ||
| Irina Kulikova | Ph.D. 2005 - Institute of Biology and Soil Science, Vladivostok, Russia | ||
| Publications: | |
| 2007 | Bulgarella, M., R. E. Wilson, C. Kopuchian, T. H. Valqui, and K. G. McCracken. Elevational variation in body size of Crested Ducks (Lophonetta specularioides) from the Central High Andes, Mendoza, and Patagonia. Ornitologia Neotropical 18:587-602. [PDF] |
| 2007 | Sonsthagen, S. A., S. L. Talbot, and K. G. McCracken. Genetic characterization of Common Eiders breeding in the Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta, Alaska. Condor 109:878-893. [PDF] |
| 2007 | Wilson, R. E., S. A. Sonsthagen, C. P. Barger, and K. G. McCracken. Asymmetric molt or feather wear in Flying Steamer Ducks (Tachyeres patachonicus) from coastal habitats in Argentina. Ornitologia Neotropical 18:193-300. [PDF] |
| 2007 | McCracken, K. G. [Review of] Ducks, Geese, and Swans, Vol. 1 & 2. Quarterly Review of Biology 82:157. [PDF] |
| 2007 | Brennan, P. L. R., R. O. Prum, K. G. McCracken, M. D. Sorenson, R. E. Wilson, and T. R. Birkhead. Coevolution of male and female genital morphology in waterfowl. PLoS ONE 2:e419 [PDF] |
| 2007 | Winker, K. , K. G. McCracken, D. D. Gibson, C. L. Pruett, R. Meier, F. Huettmann, M. Wege, I. V. Kulikova, Y. N. Zhuravlev, M. L. Perdue, E. Spackman, D. L. Suarez , and D. E. Swayne. Movement of birds and avian influenza from Asia to Alaska. Emerging Infectious Diseseases 13:547-552. [PDF] |
| 2007 | Spackman, E., K. G. McCracken, K. Winker, and D. E. Swayne. An avian influenza virus from waterfowl in South America contains genes from North American avian and equine lineages. Avian Diseases 51:273-274. [PDF] |
| 2006 | Wilson, R. E., T. H. Valqui, and K. G. McCracken. Aberrant plumage in the Yellow-billed Pintail Anas georgica. Wildfowl 56:192-196. [PDF] |
| 2006 | Sonsthagen, S. A., S. L. Talbot, R. B. Lanctot, K. T. Scribner, and K. G. McCracken. Population genetic structure of Common Eiders (Somateria mollissima) nesting on coastal barrier islands adjacent to oil facilities in the Beaufort Sea, Alaska. U.S. Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service, Final Report OCS Study MMS 2006-40:1-94. |
| 2006 | Spackman, E., K. G. McCracken, K. Winker, and D. E Swayne. H7N3 avian influenza virus found in a South American wild duck is related to the Chilean 2002 poultry outbreak, contains genes from equine and North American wild bird lineages, and is adapted to domestic turkeys. Journal of Virology 80:7760–7764. [PDF] |
| 2006 | Johnson, K. P., M. Kennedy, and K. G. McCracken. Reinterpreting the origins of flamingo lice: Cospeciation or host-switching. Biology Letters 2:275-278. [PDF] |
| 2005 | Kulikova, I. V., S. V. Drovetski, D. D. Gibson, R. J. Harrigan, S. Rohwer, M. D. Sorenson, K. Winker, Y. N. Zhuravlev, and K. G. McCracken. Phylogeography of the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos): Hybridization, dispersal, and lineage sorting contribute to complex geographic structure. The Auk 122:949-965. [PDF] |
| 2005 | Peters, J. L., K. G. McCracken, R. E. Wilson, Y. N. Zhuravlev, Y. Lu, K. P. Johnson, and K. E. Omland. Phylogenetics of wigeons and allies (Anatidae: Anas spp.): The importance of sampling multiple loci and multiple individuals. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35:209-224. [PDF] |
| 2005 | McCracken, K. G., and M. D. Sorenson. Is homoplasy or lineage sorting the source of incongruent mtDNA and nuclear gene trees in the stiff-tailed ducks (Nomonyx-Oxyura)? Systematic Biology 54:35-55. [PDF] |
| 2005 | Callaghan, D., and K. G. McCracken. Musk Duck: Taxonomy pp. 213 in J. Kear (ed.) Bird Families of the World: Ducks, Geese, and Swans. Oxford University Press, Oxford. |
| 2005 | McCracken, K. G. Musk Duck Biziura lobata pp. 213-217 in J. Kear (ed.) Bird Families of the World: Ducks, Geese, and Swans. Oxford University Press, Oxford. |
| 2005 | Callaghan, D., and K. G. McCracken. The stiff-tailed ducks and their allies: Taxonomy in J. Kear (ed.) pp. 343-346 in Bird Families of the World: Ducks, Geese, and Swans. Oxford University Press, Oxford. |
| 2004 | Wilson, R. E., S. D. Goldfeder, and K. G. McCracken. Bill sexual dichromatism of Yellow-billed Pintail (Anas georgica) and Speckled Teal (A. flavirostris). Ornitologia Neotropical 15:543-545. [PDF] |
| 2004 | Kulikova, I. V., Y. N. Zhuravlev, and K. G. McCracken. Asymmetric hybridization and sex-biased gene flow between Eastern Spot-billed Ducks and Mallards in the Russian Far East. The Auk 121:930-949. [PDF] |
| 2003 | McCracken, K. G., J. Hemmings, D. C. Paton, and A. D. Afton. Capture methods for Musk Ducks. Wildfowl 54:211-214. [PDF] |
| 2002 | McCracken, K. G., P. J. Fullagar, E. C. Slater, D. C. Paton, and A. D. Afton. Advertising displays of male Musk Ducks indicate population subdivision across the Nullarbor Plain of Australia. Wildfowl 53:137-154. [PDF] |
| 2001 | McCracken, K. G., R. E. Wilson, P. J. McCracken, and K. P. Johnson. Are ducks impressed by drakes' display. Nature 413:128. [PDF] |
| 2001 | McCracken, K. G., W. P. Johnson, and F. H. Sheldon. Molecular population genetics, phylogeography, and conservation biology of the Mottled Duck (Anas fulvigula ). Conservation Genetics 2:87-102. [PDF] |
| 2001 | McClellan, D. A., and K. G. McCracken. Estimating the influence of selection on the variable amino acid sites of the cytochrome b protein functional domains. Molecular Biology and Evolution 18:917-925. [PDF] |
| 2000 | McCracken, K. G., D. C. Paton, and A. D. Afton. Sexual size dimorphism of the Musk Duck. Wilson Bulletin 112:457-466. [PDF] |
| 2000 | McCracken, K. G., J. Harshman, M. D. Sorenson, and K. P. Johnson. Are Ruddy Ducks and White-headed Ducks the same species? British Birds 93:396-398. [PDF] |
| 2000 | McCracken, K. G., A. D. Afton, and D. C. Paton. Nest and eggs of Musk Ducks (Biziura lobata) at Murray Lagoon, Cape Gantheaume Conservation Park, Kangaroo Island, South Australia. South Australian Ornithologist 33:65-70. [PDF] |
| 2000 | McCracken, K. G. The 20-cm spiny penis of the Argentine Lake Duck (Oxyura vittata). The Auk 117:820-825. [PDF] |
| 2000 | McCracken, K. G., A. D. Afton, and M. S. Peters. Condition bias of hunter-shot Ring-necked Ducks exposed to lead. Journal of Wildlife Management 64:584-590. |
| 2000 | Sheldon, F. H., C. E. Jones, and K. G. McCracken. Relative patterns and rates of evolution in heron nuclear and mitochondrial DNA. Molecular Biology and Evolution 17:437-450. [PDF] |
| 1999 | McCracken, K. G., J. Harshman, D. A. McClellan, and A. D. Afton. Data set incongruence and correlated character evolution: An example of functional convergence in the hind-limbs of stifftail diving ducks. Systematic Biology 48:683-714. [PDF] |
| 1999 | McCracken, K. G. Systematics, ecology, and social biology of the Musk Duck (Biziura lobata) of Australia. Ph.D. Dissertation, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana. |
| 1998 | McCracken, K. G. [Review of] Ruddy ducks and other stifftails: Their behavior and biology. Quarterly Review of Biology 73:362-363. [PDF] |
| 1998 | McCracken, K. G., and F. H. Sheldon. Molecular and osteological heron phylogenies: Sources of incongruence. The Auk 115:127-141. [PDF] |
| 1997 | McCracken, K. G., A. D. Afton, and R. T. Alisauskas. Nest morphology and body size of Ross's Geese and Lesser Snow Geese. The Auk 114:610-618. [PDF] |
| 1997 | McCracken, K. G., and F. H. Sheldon. Avian vocalizations and phylogenetic signal. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA. 94:3833-3836. [PDF] |
| 1995 | Sheldon, F. H., K. G. McCracken, and K. D. Stuebing. Phylogenetic relationships of the Zigzag Heron (Zebrilus undulatus) and White-crested Bittern (Tigriornis leucolophus) estimated by DNA-DNA hybridization. The Auk 112: 672-679. [PDF] |
| 1995 | McCracken, K. G., D. Amrol, N. Walker, and G. B. Craig, Jr. Ectoparasites from mammals of Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Vector Control Bulletin of the North Central States 4:42-53. |
If you would like to find out more information about the McCracken Lab you can write to: Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775; call 1 (907) 474-7640; or e-mail fnkgm at uaf.edu. |
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Last Updated: 13 December 2007 |
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