Rachel Lasley-Rasher

Rachel Lasley-Rasher is an Assistant Professor of Biology at the University of Southern Maine, specializing in zooplankton ecology. Her research focuses on the ecological impacts of small organisms at basal trophic levels, particularly how their behaviors influence energy transfer to higher consumers like commercially important fish. She collaborates with institutions such as NOAA and the University of Maine.

• Education
  • B.S. from University of the Virgin Islands
  • Ph.D. from Georgia Institute of Technology

Her interdisciplinary research explores connections between individual-scale behaviors (e.g., predator avoidance, migration) and ecosystem-scale effects. Current projects include analyzing changes in estuarine food webs following the Penobscot River habitat restoration, a collaboration with NOAA and the University of Southern Maine.

Lasley-Rasher has previously investigated indirect predator effects on copepod reproduction and behavioral impacts of toxic algae ingestion. Her work integrates ecological theory with practical conservation efforts, emphasizing marine environmental dynamics.