aquatic biogeochemistry
In
general, I am interested in the effect of anthropogenic and natural "disturbances" on biogeochemical processes and nutrient cycling/spiraling in aquatic ecosystems and implications for water quality and food web resources. I am just beginning to work on questions involving organic matter dynamics, stable isotope ecology, and ecological stoichiometry. I am also interested in
practical applications of water quality monitoring and use of
biological organisms as indicators of ecosystem health, as well as the
structure and function of alpine freshwater ecosystems.
M.S. Thesis
My MS research was conducted on the effects of catastrophic wildfire (the Angora Fire near Lake Tahoe, California) on a subalpine stream ecosystem in the Lake Tahoe Basin. I examined water quality, benthic macroinvertebrates, and periphyton communities and the resources on which they depend. My goal was to examine how wildfire and landscape influence resources available for stream communities, and how these influences may structure post-fire responses.
Oliver, A.A., J. Reuter, A. Heyveart, and R.A. Dahlgren. 2011. Water quality response to the Angora Fire, Lake Tahoe, California. Biogeochemistry.
Oliver, A.A., M.T. Bogan, D.B. Herbst, and R.A. Dahlgren. 2012. Short-term changes in stream macroinvertebrates following a severe fire in the Lake Tahoe basin, California. Hydrobiologia.
Ph.D. Dissertation
My dissertation research focuses on the nutrient and organic matter dynamics within the eutrophic Klamath River located in Southern Oregon/Northern California. The Klamath is historically one of the largest anadromous-fish rivers on the west coast. The river is currently regulated and there is preliminary consensus to remove 4 of the 6 dams sometime in the next few decades. I am interested in how biological and physical processes control biogeochemical cycling along a longitudinal gradient of reservoirs and rivers; this includes organic matter dynamics, riverine processing of nitrogen, and the role of hydrology and land form in controlling and regulating these processes. My goal is to better understand the biogeochemistry in this system, with implications for water quality modeling and prediction of future effects of dam removal.
Please feel free to contact me with questions or for a copy of my CV! Email Allison
EXTRACURRICULAR AND FUN INFORMATION:
18 days of March in the Grand Canyon, 2012:
UC Davis Graduate student trip with Professors Jeff Mount and Peter Moyle.
Alaska, September 2011:
Fishing the coho salmon run on Kodiak Island followed by a scientific conference in Fairbanks.
Trinity River and Redwood Creek Fall/Winter 2011-12.
Northern California Coast steelheading and salmon fishing.
Photo courtesy of Mike Greener
Riding bicycles!
.... the mountain bike season is just about to start!!
UCD Aggies Cycling Team NCAA National Champions 2009
(Women from left: Lisa Auchincloss, Allison Oliver, Emily Foxman, Larissa Fitchett, Danielle Haulman, Amy Chandos)
Iceland Nature Conservation Association
Berkeley's Water Resource Center ...so you want to learn about water, eh?