Professor
Email: rypel@ucdavis.edu
Office: 1369 Academic Surge
Phone: (530) 752-9567
Personal Professional Website:
https://sites.google.com/view/rypel-lab/home
Research:
I am a professor and the Peter B. Moyle and California Trout Chair in Coldwater Fish Ecology at UC Davis in the Department of Wildlife, Fish & Conservation Biology. I believe human societies must strive to leave healthier aquatic ecosystems to future generations. To this end, I became an applied fish and aquatic ecologist with the goal of pursuing conservation management solutions to modern issues that imperil aquatic habitats, fisheries and the sustainability of ecological services for humans. Most of my efforts center on developing actionable science-based solutions, and assisting conservation professionals, on problems commonly encountered in fish (and occasionally also mussel) populations. I rely on a four-legged approach to generating knowledge including theory, manipulation, observation (especially long-term ecological research), and quantitative models and endeavor to use all these approaches in my work.
THE RYPEL LAB VISION: Freshwater biodiversity and ecosystem function are in an undisputed state of decline. One of the core challenges facing freshwater conservation science is that knowledge is simply lacking on ecological relationships between species and environments. Meanwhile, considerable attempts are made to improve ecological services with incomplete sets of information and high uncertainty. Work in the Rypel Lab often targets the science-policy nexus; therefore collaborating with agencies, conservation practitioners, and the public is a major part of what we do. We are also attracted to more basic pursuits in ecology, such as tests of ecological theories and applications of theory towards better conservation.
RESEARCH AREAS: Fish Ecology, Fisheries Management, Ecology, Governance, Conservation Science, Freshwater Mussels
Current Projects:
- The Nigiri Project, Telemetry of Spring-Run Chinook Salmon in the San Joaquin River.
Future Projects:
- Food web ecology of alpine lakes in California
Education and Experience:
- BA, Environmental Science, 2001, Saint Louis University
- MS, Fisheries, 2004, Auburn University
- PhD, Ecology, 2008, University of Alabama