Elizabeth McHuron

  • Research Scientist
  • Education:
    • BS, Marine Science, Western Washington University, 2005
    • MS, Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, 2012
    • PhD, University of California Santa Cruz, 2016
  • Email:
  • Phone:
    • 415-632-8540
  • Location:
    • Alaska Fisheries Science Center

    • My current research is largely focused on marine mammal bioenergetics, specifically how much prey that populations consume, and how climate change and anthropogenic disturbance influence energy budgets, behavioral decisions, and vital rates. I also am interested in understanding spatial use, foraging behavior, and contaminant exposure of marine mammals. The end goal of much of my research is to inform management of marine mammal populations and to incorporate them into ecosystem-based fisheries management. Currently, I am working on projects related to northern fur seals, Steller sea lions, and Cook Inlet beluga whales.

    Selected publications

    McHuron, E.A., L. Aerts, G. Gailey, O. Synchenko, D.P. Costa, M. Mangel, and L.K. Schwarz. 2021. State-dependent behavioral and life history models predict the population consequences of acoustic disturbance, with application to endangered western gray whales. Ecological Applications: e02440.

    McHuron, E.A., K. Luxa, N.A. Pelland, K. Holsman, T. Zeppelin, R. Ream, and J.T. Sterling. 2020. Practical application of a bioenergetic model to inform management of a declining fur seal population and their commercially important prey. Frontiers in Marine Science 7:597973.

    McHuron, E.A., J.T. Sterling, D.P. Costa, and M. Goebel. 2020. Influence of extrinsic and intrinsic factors on energy expenditure of free-ranging northern fur seals (Callorhinus ursinus). Conservation Physiology:coz103

    McHuron, E.A., T.M. Williams, D.P. Costa, and C.R. Reichmuth. 2020. Contrasting whisker growth patterns within the phocid lineage. Marine Ecology Progress Series 634: 231 – 236.

    Pirotta, E.M. Mangel, D.P. Costa, J. Goldbogen, J. Harwood, V. Hin, L.M. Irvine, B.R. Mate, E.A. McHuron, D.M. Palacios, L.K. Schwarz, L. New. 2019. Anthropogenic disturbance in a changing environment: modelling lifetime reproductive success to predict the consequences of multiple stressors on a migratory population. Oikos 128: 1340-1357.

    McHuron, E.A., L. K. Schwarz, D.P. Costa, and M. Mangel. 2018. A state-dependent model for assessing the population consequences of disturbance on income-breeding mammals. Ecological Modelling 385: 133-144.

    McHuron, E.A., E. Hazen, and D.P. Costa. 2018. Constrained by consistency? Repeatability of foraging behavior at multiple timescales for a generalist marine predator. Marine Biology 165: 122.

    Briscoe, D., S. Fossette, K. Scales, E. Hazen, S. Bograd, S. Maxwell, E. McHuron, P. Robinson, C. Kuhn, D. Costa, L. Crowder, and R. Lewison. 2018. Characterizing the habitat suitability of a central place forager in a dynamic marine environment. Ecology and Evolution 8: 2788-2801

    McHuron, E.A., S. Peterson, L. Huckstadt, S. Melin, J. Harris, and D.P. Costa. 2018. The energetic consequences of behavioral variation in a marine carnivore. Ecology and Evolution 8: 4340-4351.

    McHuron, E.A., Mangel, M., Schwarz, L.K., and D.P. Costa. 2017. Energy and prey requirements of California sea lions under variable environmental conditions. Marine Ecology Progress Series 567:235-247.

    McHuron, E.A., Costa, D.P., Schwarz, L.K., and M. Mangel. 2017. State-dependent behavioural theory for assessing the fitness consequences of anthropogenic disturbance on capital and income breeders. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 8: 552 – 560.

    McHuron, E.A., Robinson, P.W., Simmons, S., Kuhn, C., Fowler, M., and D.P. Costa. 2016. Foraging strategies of a generalist marine predator inhabiting a dynamic environment. Oecologia 182:995-1005.

    McHuron, E.A., Walcott, S., Zeligs, J., Skrovan, S., Costa, D.P., and C. Reichmuth. 2016. Whisker growth in two North Pacific pinnipeds: implications for determining foraging behavior from stable isotope analysis. Marine Ecology Progress Series 554: 213-224.