Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program:
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Staff Member

Alyson McKnight

Aly McKnight
Research Assistant
Phone: (207) 581 - 2921
Email: alyson.mcknight@maine.edu

Education

  • Ph D University of Maine 2017
  • MS University of Massachusetts 1999
  • BA Connecticut College 1996

Biography

Born and raised a New Englander, I spent my early years studying green crab ecology in Long Island Sound. After earning my M.Sc., I spent 10 seasons working in Alaska on a variety of seabird projects for the FWS, many relating to the EVOS aftermath. When not chasing seabirds, I play flute in the Bangor Band and attempt to keep my two boys in line.. While I'm still in the early stages of project planning, I hope to address seabird colony dynamics in both Prince William Sound, Alaska, and the Gulf of Maine through a combination of historical dataset analysis and an ongoing tagging study.

Research Publications Publication Date
McKnight, A., E.J. Blomberg, G.H. Golet, D.B. Irons, C.S. Loftin, and S.T. McKinney. 2018. Experimental evidence of long-term breeding costs in a colonial seabird. Journal of Avian Biology, 49: 1-14. Article DOI:10.1111/jav.01779; Data DOI:10.5061/dryad.qb3q5f3. September 2018
McKnight, A., E.J. Blomberg, D.B. Irons, C.S. Loftin, and S.T. McKinney. 2019. Survival and recruitment dynamics of black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) at an Alaskan colony. Marine Ornithology 47:209-222. doi:10.5061/dryad.ch2740k October 2019
McKnight, A., D.B. Irons, C.S. Loftin, S.T. McKinney, and B.J. Olsen. 2020. Combined influence of intrinsic and environmental factors in shaping seabird productivity in a small pelagic gull, the Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 633:207-223. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps13162 January 2020
Project Completion Date
The Gulf of Maine coastal ecosystem survey: an integrated, multidisciplinary effort to map biological hotspots in the waters of Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts (Collaborators: C. Loftin, S. McKinney, A. McKnight, A. Allyn, J. Runge, MDIFW, UMass, USFWS, BRI) December 2018
Presentations Presentation Date
McKnight, Aly, C.S. Loftin, And S.McKinney. 2016. Does reproduction incur long-term costs in a colonial seabird? Presentation at the Gulf of Maine Seabird Working Group Annual Winter Meeting, Bangor, ME. 7 March. March 2016
McKnight, A., E. Blomberg, D. Irons, C. Loftin, and S. McKinney. 2017. Colony size influences fidelity in a colonial nesting seabird. Presentation at the 44th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Seabird Working Group, Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, Tacoma, WA, 22-25 February. February 2017
McKnight, A., C.S. Loftin, and S.T. McKinney. 2017. Universal drivers of seabird productivity: Patterns across two systems. Gulf of Maine Seabird Working Group Winter Meeting, Bangor, ME. 29 March. March 2017
McKnight, A., C.S. Loftin, and S.T. McKinney. 2016. Individual, colony, and metapopulation level drivers of seabird colony dynamics.” Poster, Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Annual Coordinating Committee Meeting, Orono, ME. 23 March. March 2016
McKnight, A., C.S. Loftin, and S.. Mckinney. 2016. Does reproduction incur long-term costs in a colonial seabird? Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Annual Coordinating Committee Meeting, Orono, ME. 23 March. March 2016