Amanda McCormick
PhD student
Education and Background
Ph.D. Zoology. University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2020.
M.S. Biology. Loyola University – Chicago, 2015.
B.S. Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Secondary Mathematics Education. University of Michigan, 2011.
Research Interests
I am interested in how ecosystem level processes influence trophic interactions and food webs. For instance, a project I did in summer 2016 examined how nutrient availability affects food quantity and quality for insect larvae in an aquatic system. As a graduate student, I am part of the LTREB project studying Lake Myvatn. This project aims to understand what drives the high amplitude and irregular population fluctuations of midges in the lake and how these dynamics influence other parts of the aquatic ecosystem and surrounding terrestrial landscape.
Personal Interests
Traveling, running, learning photography, beer sampling, and all things cat related.
McCormick, A.R., Hoellein, T.J., London, M.G., Hittie, J., Scott, J.W., and Kelly, J.J. Microplastic is an abundant and novel substrate for unique bacterial assemblages in river biofilms. (accepted at Ecosphere).
McCormick, A.R., and Hoellein, T.J. 2016. Anthropogenic litter is abundant, diverse, and mobile in urban rivers: Insights from cross-ecosystem analyses using ecosystem and community ecology tools. Limnology and Oceanography. 61(5): 1718-1734.
McCormick, A., Hoellein, T.J., Mason, S.A., Schluep, J., and Kelly, J.J. 2014. Microplastic is an abundant and distinct microbial habitat in an urban river. Environmental Science and Technology. 48(20): 11863-11871.