Kristy Ferraro

Ph.D. Candidate
Yale School of the Environment
​Pronouns: she/hers

Education

M.S., 2018 Vanderbilt University; Earth and Environmental Science ​​
B.S., 2015 Boston College; Environmental Geoscience and Philosophy

Curriculum Vitae

Click here for CV.

Research

I am interested in the ecosystem services provided by large mammals and how the impacts of local extinction or changes in migratory behavior may alter ecosystem dynamics. More specifically, I explore the impact of ungulates on soil dynamics, nutrient cycles, nutrient transfer, and carbon storage. Working in both the Schmitz lab and the Bradford lab at Yale my dissertation aims to untangle the effects of caribou, elk, pronghorn, white-tailed deer, and other large herbivores soils and nutrient cycles. As northern ecosystems change due to climate change, and ungulate populations dwindle, I hope to help illuminate the role of these animals within northern ecosystems.

Additionally I am interested in helping develop rigorous philosophical frameworks which can be used by practicing conservationists to conduct conservation ethically. Conservation is inherently ethical, requiring conservationists to navigate morally difficult situations. As humans continue to alter ecosystems, creating conservation programs that work for people and animals is vital.

Previous Research

​Boston College, USA and the University of Edinburgh, UK (2014-2015) – Throughout the summer of 2014, I worked in Dr. Eva Panagiotakopulu’s lab (Edinbrugh, UK) where we sought to reconstruct the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment of Cheshire, UK using beetle remains. Upon returning to Boston College in the fall of 2014, I used this research to conduct an Environmental Science Thesis. This work ultimately provided evidence of the Chelford Interstadial, a brief warm period in Great Britain during the Late Pleistocene. In addition, I conducted a Philosophy Thesis with Dr. Holly Vande Wall investigating the ethics of animal use by humans using the framework of Benthian Utilitarianism.

University of Bern, CH (2015-2016) – Through funding awarded by the U.S. Fulbright Program I spend a year working with paleoecologist Dr. Oliver Heiri. While there, I conducted a high-resolution independent temperature reconstruction for the Late Glacial and Holocene using chironomid (non-biting midge) remains as a proxy. 

Vanderbilt University, USA (2016-2018) – For my master’s thesis, I worked with Professor Malu Jorge to investigate the role of the white-lipped peccary within the Cerrado of Brazil. Local extinction events have created forest patches of presence and absence, which we used as natural exclosure and enclosure plots. Within these plots we measured soil and nutrient dynamics to understand the ecosystem services provided by these frugivores and to evaluate the possible effects of local and regional extinction.

Contact

Email: kristy.ferraro@yale.edu
Website: kristymferraro.com
Twitter: @kristyferraro
Office: Greeley Laboratory, Room 119

Mailing Address:
Yale University
School of the Environment
370 Prospect Street
New Haven, CT 06511 USA

Publications

Ferraro, K. M., Ferraro, A. L., Arietta, A. A., & Sommer, N. R. (2023). Revisiting two dogmas of conservation science. Conservation Biology, e14101.

Abraham, A., E. Duvall, K.M. Ferraro, A. Webster, C. Doughty, E. Roux, & D. Ellis‐Soto (2023). Understanding anthropogenic impacts on zoogeochemistry is essential for ecological restoration. Restoration Ecology, e13778.

Webber, Q. M.,  K.M. Ferraro, J. Hendrix & E. Vander Wal. (2022). What do caribou eat? A review of the literature on caribou diet. Canadian Journal of Zoology. (Editors Choice)

Ferraro, K.M., O.J. Schmitz, and M.A. McCary. (2022). Effects of ungulate density and sociality on landscape heterogeneity: a mechanistic modeling approach. Ecography. 

Sommer, N.R. and K.M. Ferraro. (2021). An ethical framework for behavioural training in wildlife management. Conservation Science and Practice.  

Ferraro, K.M., A.L. Ferraro, and N.R. Sommer. (2021). Challenges facing cross-disciplinary collaboration in conservation ethics. Conservation Science and Practice.  

Ellis-Soto, D.,* K.M. Ferraro,* M. Rizzuto, E. Briggs, J.D. Monk and O.J. Schmitz (2021). A methodological roadmap to quantify animal-mediated nutrient subsidies. Journal of Animal Ecology. (Winner, Sidnie Manton Award)
*Indicates shared first-authorship