- Ph.D., Biological Oceanography, Florida State University, 1989
- M.S., Biological Oceanography, Florida State University, 1984
- B.A., Biology, McPherson College, Magna cum Laude, 1982
Marine sediments throughout the world are populated with a diverse, abundant, and ecologically important community of small invertebrate animals and microorganisms. My research examines the ecological interactions between these small animals (referred to as “meiofauna”) and microbes (including microalgae, bacteria, fungi, and protozoans).
I have a particular interest in the importance of microorganisms as a source of nutrition for meiofauna and have developed several techniques for qualitatively and quantitatively assessing these relationships. Microorganisms also have complex commensal and/or parasitic relationships with meiofauna as they colonize their exterior surfaces. These “epibiotic” microbes are a continuing source of fascination for me.
Our laboratory has extensively examined the ecological impact of hydrocarbon and metal contaminants on microbial-meiofaunal food webs in coastal salt marshes, including ongoing research related to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. We have also examined the potential ecological impacts of deep-sea CO2 sequestration.
- 2004- 2012: Dean, College of Science, LSU.
- 2003-2004: Associate Dean for Finance and Administration, College of Basic Sciences, LSU.
- 2001-2013: Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, LSU.
- 1996-2001: Associate Professor, Department of Biological Sciences, LSU.
- 1991-1996: Assistant Professor, Department of Zoology and Physiology, LSU.
- 1989-1991: Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of Zoology and Physiology, LSU
- Sedlacek, L., D. Thistle, G. Fernandez-Leborans, and K.R. Carman, J.P Barry. 2013. First report of ciliate (Protozoa) epibionts on deep-sea harpacticoid copepods. Deep-Sea Research Part II. 165-171
- Mendelssohn, I.A. G.L. Anderson, D. Baltz R. Caffey, K.R. Carman, J.W. Fleeger, S. Joye, Q. Lin, E. Maltby, E. Overton. 2012. Oil impacts to Coastal Wetland Systems: Implications for the Mississippi River Delta Plain Ecosystem after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill. Bioscience 62: 562-574. ISSN 1525-3244.
- Pascal, P.-Y., J.W. Fleeger, F. Galvez, and K.R. Carman. 2010. The toxicological interaction between ocean acidity and metals in coastal meiobenthic copepods. Marine Pollution Bulletin 60: 2201-2208.
- Hedrick, D.B, A.R. Peacock, G. Tita, J.W. Fleeger, K.R. Carman, and D.C. White. 2009. Effects of diesel and interactions with copper and other metals in an estuarine sediment microbial community. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 28: 2289-2297.
- Carman, K.R., D. Thistle, J.W. Fleeger, and J.P. Barry. 2004. The Influence of Introduced CO2 on Deep-Sea Metazoan Meiofauna. Journal of Oceanography 60: 767-772.
- Pinckney, J.L., K.R. Carman, S.E. Lumsden, and S.N. Hymel. 2003. Microalgal-meiofaunal trophic relationships in muddy intertidal estuarine sediments. Aquatic Microbial Ecology 31: 99-108.
- Carman, K.R. and B. Fry. 2002. δ13C and δ15N analysis of meiofaunal species from a coastal marsh. Marine Ecology Progress Series 240: 85-92.
- Buffan-Dubau, E. and K.R. Carman. 2000. Diel feeding behavior of meiofauna and their relationships with microalgal resources. Limnology & Oceanography 45: 381-395.
- Carman, K.R., J.W. Fleeger, and S.M. Pomarico. 1997. Response of a benthic food web to hydrocarbon contamination. Limnology & Oceanography 42: 561-571.
- Carman, K.R. and F.C. Dobbs. 1997. Epibiotic microorganisms on copepods and other aquatic crustaceans. Microscopy Research & Technique 37: 116-135.