Dr. Kathy Van Alstyne

Marine Scientist, Shannon Point Marine Center, Western Washington University, 1900 Shannon Point Road, Anacortes, WA 98221, USA

---

Research Interests

marine ecology; algal physiology and biochemistry; harmful macroalgal blooms; algal-herbivore interactions; marine chemical ecology

Employment and Education

1997-present	Marine Scientist/Information Services Specialist, Shannon Point Marine Center, Western Washington University, Anacortes, WA
2000-present	Adjunct Faculty, Department of Biology, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
2000-present	Adjunct Faculty, Huxley College of Environmental Science, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA
1995-1998	Research Professor of Zoology, Department of Zoology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
1991-1997	Assistant Professor of Biology, Department of Biology, Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio
1990‑1991	Guyer Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin
1989‑1990	Research Associate/Temporary Faculty, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Fullerton, California
1988‑1989	Postdoctoral Research Associate, University of Guam Marine Laboratory, University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam
1983‑1988	Ph.D. in Marine Ecology, Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
1980‑1983	B.S. in Zoology, University of Rhode Island, Kingston, Rhode Island

Grants Awarded

• National Science Foundation: ($300,000) Sep 2007-Aug 2010, with T. Nelson and R. Ridgeway
  
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: (OCE 0526644) ($454,516) Sep 2005-Aug 2008, with T. Nelson
  
• National Science Foundation: ($212,202) Sep 2005-Aug 2008, with T. Nelson
  
• National Science Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates Supplement ($6,725), Jun 2006-Aug 2006
  
• National Science Foundation: (DBI 0300970) ($164,673) May 2003-Apr 2005, with B. Bingham, and S. Strom
  
• Western Washington University: ($25,000), May 2003-Apr 2004, with B. Bingham, J. Rybczyk and D. Schneider
  
• National Science Foundation: (IBN 0090825) ($320,000), Feb 2001-Feb 2005
  
• Western Washington University: ($23,994), May 2001-Apr 2002, with D. Cancilla and C. Burgess
  
• National Science Foundation: (DBI 0098409) ($40,158) Apr 2001-Mar 2002, with B. Bingham, G. Muller-Parker, S. Strom and S. Sulkin
  
• National Science Foundation: (IBN 9982794) ($4,500), Dec 1999-Nov 2000, with D. Padilla
  
• National Science Foundation: (DBI 9877129) ($66,739), Jan 1999-Dec 2000, with S. Strom and G. Muller-Parker
  
• David and Lucille Packard Foundation ($1,470,940), Jun 1998-May 2002, with J. Lubchenco
  
• National Science Foundation: (DUE 9851243) ($29,793), May 1998-Jun 2000, with B. Bingham, G. Muller-Parker, S. Strom, and S. Sulkin
  
• David and Lucille Packard Foundation ($110,829), Sep 1997-Jun 1998, with J. Lubchenco
  
• National Science Foundation: (IBN 9513900) ($190,337), Jan 1996-Jan 1999
  
• Kenyon College: Faculty Development Award ($2000), May 1994
  
• Kenyon College: Academic Computing Award ($6000), Apr 1994
  
• Kenyon College: Teaching Initiatives Award ($850), Mar 1994
  
• Kenyon College: Faculty Development Award ($2000), Apr 1993
  
• Kenyon College: Faculty Development Award ($1777), May 1992
  
• Carolinas-Ohio Science Education Network: Curriculum Development in Environmental Studies ($1500), with R. Heithaus and C. Beggs, Jan 1992
  
• California Sea Grant: Funding for Western Society Naturalists Symposium on Marine Plant‑Herbivore Interactions ($3,000), with M. Horn, Dec 1990
  
• National Science Foundation: NSF Predoctoral Fellowship, Sep 1983‑Aug 1987
  
• Lerner Grey Fund for Marine Research ($600) May 1986
  
• Sigma Xi: Grant in Aid of Research ($400) Aug 1986
  
• Sigma Xi: Grant in Aid of Research ($300) Feb 1984
  
• University of Washington Department of Zoology Research Fund ($250), Jun 1986

Publications

• Van Alstyne KL, Dominique VJ III, Muller-Parker G (2009) Is dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) produced by the symbionts or the hosts in an anemone-zooxanthella symbiosis? Coral Reefs 28: 167-176.
• Van Alstyne KL, Pelletreau KN, Kirby A (2009) Nutritional preferences override chemical defenses in determining food choice by a generalist herbivore, Littorina sitkana.  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology, accepted for publication.
• Van Alstyne KL (2008) Ecological and physiological roles of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) and its DMSP cleavage in marine macroalgae.  In: Algal Chemical Ecology (ed: C. Amsler), Springer, Heidelberg, pp. 173-194.
• Van Alstyne KL (2008) The distribution of DMSP in green macroalgae from Northern New Zealand, eastern Australia, and southern Tasmania.  Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 88: 799-805.
• Nelson TA, Haberlin K, Nelson AV, Ribarich H, Hotchkiss R, Van Alstyne KL, Buckingham L, Simunds DJ (2008) Ecological and physiological controls of species composition in green macroalgal blooms Ecology 89: 1287-1298.
• Van Alstyne KL, Koellermeier L, Nelson TA (2007) Spatial variation in dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) production in Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta) from the northeast Pacific. Marine Biology 150: 1127-1135.
• Van Alstyne KL, Puglisi MP (2007) DMSP in marine macroalgae and macroinvertebrates:  distribution, functions, and ecological impacts.  Aquatic Sciences 69: 394-402.
• Lyons D, Van Alstyne KL, Scheibling R (2007) Anti-grazing activity and seasonal variation of dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP)-associated compounds in the invasive alga Codium fragile ssp. tomentosoides.  Marine Biology 153: 179-188.
• Ross C, Van Alstyne KL (2007) Intraspecific variation in stress-induced hydrogen peroxide scavenging by the ulvoid macroalga Ulva lactuca.  Journal of Phycology, 43: 466-474
• Van Alstyne KL, Nelson AV, Vyvyan JR, Cancilla D (2006) Dopamine functions as an antiherbivore defense in the temperate green alga Ulvaria obscura.  Oecologia 148: 304-311.
• Van Alstyne KL, Schupp PJ, Slattery M (2006) The distribution of dimethylsulfoniopropionate in tropical Pacific coral reef invertebrates.  Coral Reefs 25: 321-327.
• Edwards K, Pfister CA, Van Alstyne KL  (2006) Nitrogen content in the brown alga Fucus gardneri and its relation to light, herbivory, and wave exposure.  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 336: 99-109.
• Erickson AA, Paul VJ, Van Alstyne KL, Kwiatkowski LM (2006) Palatability of macroalgae that use different types of chemical defenses.  Journal of Chemical Ecology 32: 1883-1895.
• Henry BE, Van Alstyne KL (2004) Effects of UV radiation on growth and phlorotannins in Fucus gardneri (Phaeophyceae) juveniles and embryos. Journal of Phycology 40: 527-533.
• Van Alstyne KL, Houser LT (2003) Dimethyl sulfide release during macroinvertebrate grazing and its role as an activated chemical defense.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 250: 175-181.
• Van Alstyne KL, Pelletreau KN, Rosario K* (2003) The effects of salinity on dimethylsulfoniopropionate production in the green alga Ulva fenestrata Postels et Ruprecht (Chlorophyta).  Botanica Marina 46: 350-356.
• Pfister CA, Van Alstyne KL (2003) An experimental assessment of the effects of nutrient enhancement on the intertidal kelp Hedophyllum sessile (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae).  Journal of Phycology 39: 285-290.
• Van Alstyne KL, Ehlig JM, Whitman SL (2001) Differences in herbivore preferences, phlorotannin production, and nutritional quality between adult and juvenile tissues from marine brown algae. Marine Biology 139: 201-210.
• Van Alstyne KL, Wolfe GV, Freidenburg TL, Neill A, Hicken C (2001) Activated defense systems in marine macroalgae: evidence for an ecological role for DMSP cleavage. Marine Ecology Progress Series 213: 53-65.
• Van Alstyne KL, Duggins DO, Dethier MN (2001) Spatial patterns in macroalgal chemical defenses. In: J.B. McClintock and B.J. Baker (eds) Marine Chemical Ecology, pp 301-324.
• Van Alstyne KL, Pelletreau KN (2000) Effects of nutrient enrichment on growth and phlorotannin production in Fucus gardneri embryos. Marine Ecology Progress Series 206: 33-43.
• Van Alstyne KL, McCarthy JJ III, Hustead CL, Kearns LJ (1999) Phlorotannin allocation among tissues of northeastern Pacific kelps and rockweeds. Journal of Phycology 35: 483-492.
• Van Alstyne KL, Ehlig JM, Whitman SL (1999) Feeding preferences for juvenile and adult algae depend on algal stage and herbivore species. Marine Ecology Progress Series 180: 179-185
• Van Alstyne KL, McCarthy JJ III, Hustead CL, Duggins DO (1999) Geographic variation in polyphenolic levels of northeastern Pacific kelps and rockweeds. Marine Biology 133: 371-379
• Van Alstyne KL, (1995) A comparison of three methods for quantifying brown algal polyphenolic compounds.  Journal of Chemical Ecology 21: 45-58.
• Van Alstyne KL, Wylie CR, Paul VJ (1994) Antipredator defenses in tropical Pacific soft corals (Coelenterata: Octocorallia).  II. The relative importance of chemical and structural defenses in three species of Sinularia.  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 178: 17-34.
• Boulding EG, Van Alstyne KL (1993) Mechanisms of differential survival and growth of Littorina on wave-exposed and on protected shores. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 169: 139-166.
• Boulding EG, Buckland-Nicks J, Van Alstyne KL (1993) Morphological and allozyme variation in Littorina sitkana and related Littorina species from the Northeastern Pacific. The Veliger 36: 43-68.
• Van Alstyne KL, Wylie CR, Paul VJ, Meyer K (1992) Antipredator defenses in tropical Pacific soft corals (Coelenterata: Octocorallia).  I. Sclerites as defenses against generalist carnivorous fishes. Biological Bulletin 182:231-240.
• Van Alstyne KL, Paul VJ (1992) Chemical and structural defenses in the sea fan Gorgonia ventalina: effects against generalist carnivorous fishes and specialist molluscan predators. Coral Reefs 11: 155-159.
• Paul VJ, Van Alstyne KL (1992) Activation of chemical defenses in the tropical green algae Halimeda spp. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology  160: 191-203.
• Van Alstyne KL (1990) Effects of wounding by herbivorous snails Littorina sitkana and Littorina scutulata (Mollusca) on growth and reproduction of the intertidal brown alga Fucus distichus (Phaeophyta). Journal of Phycology  26: 412‑416.
• Van Alstyne KL, Paul VJ (1990) The biogeography of polyphenolic compounds in marine macroalgae: temperate brown algal defenses deter feeding by tropical herbivorous fishes. Oecologia 84: 158-163.
• Van Alstyne KL (1989) Adventitious branching as an herbivore‑induced defense in the intertidal brown alga Fucus distichus. Marine Ecology Progress Series 56: 169‑176.
• Van Alstyne KL (1988) Herbivore grazing increases polyphenolic defenses in the brown alga Fucus distichus. Ecology 69: 655‑663.
• Van Alstyne KL, Paul VJ (1988) The role of secondary metabolites in marine ecological interactions. Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reef Symposium1: 175‑186.
• Paul VJ, Van Alstyne KL (1988) The use of ingested algal diterpenoids by Elysia halimedae MacNae (Opisthobranchia: Ascoglossa) as antipredator defenses. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 119: 15‑29.
• Paul VJ, Van Alstyne KL (1988) Chemical and morphological antiherbivore defenses in Halimeda (Chlorophyta). Proceedings of the 6th International Coral Reefs Symposium 3:133‑138.
• Paul VJ, Van Alstyne KL (1987) Chemical defense and chemical variation in some tropical Pacific species of Halimeda (Halimedaceae; Chlorophyta). Coral Reefs 6: 263‑269.
• Van Alstyne KL (1986) Stimulation and inhibition of copepod feeding behavior by phytoplankton extracts and exudates. Marine Ecology Progress Series 34: 187‑190.
• Sheath RG, Burkholder JM, Morison MO, Steinman A, Van Alstyne KL (1986) Effects of tree canopy removal by gypsy moth larvae on the macroalgae of a Rhode Island headwater stream. Journal of Phycology 22: 567‑570.
• Sheath RG, Burkholder JM, Hambrook JA, Hogeland AM, Hoy E, Kane ME, Morison MO, Steinman AD, Van Alstyne KL (1986) Characteristics of softwater streams in Rhode Island. III. Distribution of macrophytic vegetation in a small drainage basin.  Hydrobiologia 140: 183‑191.
• Sheath RG, Morison MO, Cole KM, Van Alstyne KL (1986) A new species of freshwater red alga, Batrachospermum carpocontortum. Phycologia 25:  321‑330.
• Sheath RG, Van Alstyne KL, Cole KM (1986) The seasonality, distribution, and reproductive phenology of Bangia atropurpurea (Rhodophyta) in Rhode Island, USA. Journal of Phycology 21: 297‑303.

Teaching Experience

Western Washington University: Marine Chemical Ecology (graduate), Marine Ecology, Professional Work Experience in Biology, Directed Independent Study

Oregon State University: Aquatic Botany, Human Impacts on Ecosystems, Marine Chemical Ecology, Marine Ecology, Marine Ecology Laboratory , Phycology, Plant Ecology, Special Topics Seminar: Chemical Ecology

Kenyon College: Aquatic Biology Laboratory, Ecology/Ecology Laboratory, Freshwater Biology, Introduction to Experimental Biology, Marine Biology, Population and Environmental Biology, Principles of Evolution

California State University, Fullerton: Introductory Biology

University of Washington (teaching assistant): Natural Sciences and the Environment , Introductory Biology, Marine Ecology, Invertebrate Zoology/Phycology

Graduate Thesis Advisees

Jason Hall, M.Sc., Department of Biology, Western Washington University
Sandra Ryan, M.Sc., Huxley Department of Environmental Science, Western Washington University
Amorah V. Nelson, M.Sc., Department of Biology, Western Washington University

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Advisees

James McCarthy, B.A. with High Honors, Department of Biology, Kenyon College
Laura Kearns, B.A. with High Honors, Department of Biology, Kenyon College

Membership in Professional Societies

American Association for the Advancement of Science; American Society for Limnology and Oceanography; Ecological Society of America; International Society for Chemical Ecology; Phi Beta Kappa;  Phi Kappa Phi; Phycological Society of America; Sigma Xi; Western Society of Naturalists

Other Training and Accomplishments

PADI Advanced Open Water SCUBA Certification, NAUI Open Water SCUBA Certification, FAA Commercial Pilot Certification, FAA Instrument Pilot Rating