A-to-Z Index

Christine May

Christine May

Assistant Professor of Biology

B.S. – Humboldt State University
M.S. – Oregon State University
Ph.D. – Oregon State University
Post-doc – University of California at Berkeley


E-mail – maycl@jmu.edu
Phone – 540-568-5030
Fax – 540-568-3333
Office – Bioscience 1028D


Courses:   Freshwater Ecology (BIO 459), Natural Hazards (GSCI 104).


Research Interests:  Aquatic ecology; linking physical and biological processes in river systems.

My primary interests are in interdisciplinary research that focuses on the interactions between physical and biological processes in river systems. Specifically, I am exploring hydrologic and geomorphic processes that shape river systems, and the role of disturbance in aquatic ecosystems. Of particular interest is the effect of vegetation changes on the frequency and magnitude of sediment fluxes, and how these processes influence river morphology and biotic communities. 


Selected Publications:

May, C.L., and J. Courtwright.  (in review)  Food web subsidies in intermittent streams: Implications for small isolated populations of native brook trout.  Submitted to Freshwater Biology.

May, C.L., and B.S. Pryor.  (accepted with minor revisions)  Initial motion and bedload transport distance determined by particle tracking in a large regulated river.  Submitted to River Research and Application.

May, C.L., Roering, J., Eaton, L.S., and K.M. Burnett.  (in press)  Controls on valley width in mountainous landscapes: The role of landsliding and implications for salmonid habitat. Geology.

May, C.L., and T. E. Lisle.  2012.  River profile controls on channel morphology, debris flow disturbance, and the spatial extent of salmonids in steep mountain streams.  Journal of Geophysical Research, vol. 117, F00A03, doi:10.1029/2011JF002324.

May, C.L., Pryor, B.S., T. Lisle, and M. Lang.  2009.  Coupling hydrodynamic modeling and empirical measures of bed mobility to predict the risk of scour and fill of salmon redds in a large regulated river.  Water Resources Research, 45, W05402, doi:10.1029/2007WR006498.

 

May, C.L., Eaton, L.S., and S. Whitmeyer.  2009.  Integrating student-led research in fluvial geomorphology into traditional field courses: A case study from JMU’s field course in Ireland.  In: Special Issue on Field Geology Education: Historical Perspectives and Modern Approaches.  Geological Society of America, pp. 195-204.

 

Cover, M., May, C.L., Resh, V.H., and W.E. Dietrich.  2008.  Quantitative linkages between sediment supply, streambed fine sediment, and benthic macroinvertebrates in streams of the Klamath Mountains.  Journal of the North American Benthological Society 27(1):135-149.

 

May, C.L.  2007.  Sediment and wood routing in steep headwater streams: an overview of geomorphic processes and their topographic signatures.  Forest Science 53(2):119-130.

 

May, C.L. and D.C. Lee.  2004.  The relationship between in-channel sediment storage, pool depth, and summer survival of juvenile salmonids in the Oregon Coast Range.  North American Journal of Fisheries Management 24(3):761-774.

 

May, C.L. and R.E. Gresswell.  2003.  Large wood recruitment and redistribution in headwater streams of the Oregon Coast Range, U.S.A.  Canadian Journal of Forest Research 33: 1352-1362.