Karen H. Gaines

- Master's Student
Contact Info
KBS - Higuchi Hall
Biography —
Faculty Mentor: James Thorp
Research Interests: Dragonfly & damselfly ecology, aquatic food webs, biogeography, phylogeography, conservation ecology
Hometown: Albuquerque, NM / Skokie, IL
Education —
B.S. in Ecology, Ethology, & Evolution, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Secondary Science Teacher Certification, Life Sciences and Broad Field Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Graduate work leading to PhD Candidacy, University of New Mexico - Department of Biology, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Selected Publications —
- Gaines, K.H. 2006. Does the equilibrium theory of island biogeography apply to dragonfly breeding ecology in a desert sinkhole complex? In Davies, B.R. and S. Thompson (Eds.). Water and the Landscape: The Landscape Ecology of Freshwater Ecosystems; Proceedings of the Fourteenth IALE(UK) Annual Conference. IALE(UK); Garstang; pp. 64-71.
- Gaines, K.H., P. Durkin, and G.C. Harper. 1996. The New Mexico Natural Heritage Program: Managing biodiversity information to guide conservation. New Mexico Journal of Science 36:355-366
- Smith, W.A., T.E. Vogt, and K.H. Gaines. 1993. Checklist of Wisconsin Dragonflies. Wisconsin Entomological Society Miscellaneous Publication No. 2
Selected Presentations —
Recent Presentations at Regional, National, & International Meetings
- Rovelli, R., Cotter, A.J., Dwyer, C.H., Freymueller, N., Gaines, K.H., Hedberg, C.P., Keller, J.S., Perriguey, D., Silviria, J.S. and Witts, J.D. Using PaleoENM to predict patterns of survivorship in the Hell Creek Formation ecosystems across the K/Pg mass extinction. 2019: Geological Society of America Annual Meeting, Phoenix, AZ, USA, September 2019. Contributed oral presentation.
- Gaines, K.H. Dragonflies and damselflies of New Mexico. Rio Grande Nature Center Annual Summer Wings Festival and BioBlitz, Albuquerque, NM, August 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014. Invited oral presentation.
- Gaines, K.H. Ontogenetic differences in odonate nestedness patterns: Confirmation that baby dragonflies live in nests! International Biogeography Society Biennial Meeting, Tucson, AZ, USA, January 2017. Contributed oral presentation.
- Gaines, K.H. It’s a great place to visit … but would I raise my kids there? Odonates experience an ontogenetic shift in landscape function in a desert sinkhole complex. Dragonfly Society of the Americas Annual Meeting, Ladysmith, WI, USA, June 2014. Contributed oral presentation.
- Gaines, K.H. Baby dragonflies sleep in nests and leave their pajamas on the ground: Exuvial diversity reveals highly ordered larval odonate communities. North American Benthological Society Annual Meeting, Providence, RI, USA, May 2011. Invited oral presentation.
Recent Attendance at Regional, National, & International Meetings
- Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, ONLINE only, June 2020
- Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, Salt Lake City, UT, USA, May 2019
- Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, Detroit, MI, USA, May 2018
- Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, Raleigh, NC, USA, June 2017
- Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting, Milwaukee, WI, USA, May 2015
- Joint Aquatic Sciences Meeting (Society for Freshwater Science, Phycological Society of America, Association for the Sciences of Limnology & Oceanography, Society of Wetland Scientists), Portland, OR, USA, May 2014
- Society for Freshwater Science Annual Meeting (formerly North American Benthological Society), Jacksonville, FL, USA, May 2013
- North American Benthological Society / Association for the Sciences of Limnology & Oceanography Joint Meeting, Santa Fe, NM, USA, May 2010
Grants & Other Funded Activity —
Minor Grants & Proposals (since Starting at KU in January 2020)
- Gaines, K.H. Using stable isotope analyses to elucidate aquatic community trophic relationships on the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. University of Kansas Dept. of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Graduate Student Organization Research Travel Award. $500. 07/25/20 – 08/31/20. Funded.
- Gaines, K.H. Using stable isotope analyses to elucidate aquatic community trophic relationships on the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Sigma Xi. $1,000. 07/25/20 – 08/31/20. Not funded.
- Gaines, K.H. Using stable isotope analyses to elucidate aquatic community trophic relationships on the Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Dr. David F. Ludwig Memorial Student Travel Award. $1,000. 07/25/20 – 08/31/20. Funded.
Recent Fellowships, Awards, & Honors
- University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center Investigators’ Choice Award. 2018.
- University of New Mexico Comprehensive Cancer Center Annual Staff Recognition Award. 2017.