Matthew Hare
Associate Professor, Natural Resources and the Environment
Director, Environment and Sustainability
Matt joined the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment in 2007. He graduated from College of the Atlantic with a BA in Human Ecology, earned a MS in zoology at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a PhD in genetics at the University of Georgia. His graduate training in evolutionary and conservation genetics connected his field biology experience with research harnessing the power of DNA to inform us about population biology and evolutionary history. With a focus on aquatic population management and restoration, Matt utilizes genetic markers to measure processes such gene flow, hybridization and genetic changes from hatchery-based population supplementation. Matt also uses population genomics to investigate adaptive processes in organisms with a focus on conditions promoting rapid evolution.
Matt served on the curriculum committee for precursor cross-departmental environmental majors since 2012, chairing the ESS Curriculum Committee from 2016-2018 until its conversion to the cross-college E&S, where he continued to serve on the curriculum committee as chair of the Environmental Biology and Applied Ecology concentration until becoming director of the major. As director, Matt promotes curricular development that maintains the unique blend of a balanced interdisciplinary core within E&S, concentrations that promote deep training or innovative bridging, and experiences such as internships and a capstone course that prepare students for integrative work experiences.
Matt is a member of the graduate fields in Natural Resources, Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, and Zoology & Wildlife Conservation. He is a Fellow in the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and a member of the Cornell Center for Computational and Population Genomics.
Areas of Expertise
- Conservation genetics
- Evolutionary genomics
- Phylogeography
- Marine biology
Recent Research
In marine environments there are few absolute barriers to dispersal, yet population genetic substructure and cryptic species are common in marine taxa that have high dispersal potential. This observation, and its implications for conservation and management, has focused the recent research of my lab group on two general questions:
- In species with large population sizes and high genetic diversity, to what extent do evolutionary processes dynamically shape contemporary population differentiation at small spatial scales? How do these processes affect population resilience?
- What genomic changes accompany selective breeding and how does interbreeding between domesticates and wild individuals affect fitness in the wild?
Selected Publications
- Mao, X., Augyte, S., Huang, M., Hare, M.P., Bailey, D., Umanzor, S., Marty-Rivera, M., Robbins, K.R., Yarish, C., Lindell, S. and Jannink, J.L., 2020. Population Genetics of Sugar Kelp Throughout the Northeastern United States Using Genome-Wide Markers. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7, p.694, DOI:10.3389/fmars.2020.00694
- Bruce, S.A., Y. Kutsumi, C. Van Maaren, M.P. Hare. 2020. Habitat effects on stocking-induced changes in wild brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) genetic structure. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society online early, https://doi.org/10.1002/tafs.10239
- McFarland, K., L.V. Plough, M. Nguyen, M.P. Hare. 2020. Are bivalves susceptible to domestication selection? Using starvation tolerance to test for potential trait changes in eastern oyster larvae. PLoS ONE 15(6): e0230222.
- McFarland, K and M.P. Hare. 2018. Restoring oysters to urban estuaries: Redefining habitat quality for eastern oyster performance near New York City. PLoS ONE 13(11): e0207368.
- Holley, J., K. McComas and M.P. Hare. 2018. Troubled Waters: Risk Perception and the Case of Oyster Restoration in the Hudson-Raritan Estuary. Marine Policy 91:104-112, DOI:10.1016/j.marpol.2018.01.024.
- Bruce, S. A., Hare, M. P., Mitchell, M. W., & Wright, J. J. 2018. Confirmation of a unique and genetically diverse ‘heritage’ strain of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in a remote Adirondack watershed. Conservation Genetics 19(1):71-83, DOI:10.1007/s10592-017-1019-6.
- Sutherland, C., Fuller, A.K., Royle, J.A., Hare, M.P. and Madden, S., 2018. Large-scale variation in density of an aquatic ecosystem indicator species. Scientific Reports 8, 8958 (2018) doi:10.1038/s41598-018-26847-x
Courses Taught
- NTRES 2830 - DNA, Genes and Genetic Diversity. Introductory genetics course designed for the Environment & Sustainability major.
- NTRES 4100 - Advanced Conservation Biology. Co-taught with Evan Cooch, this class teaches the genetic and demographic fundamentals needed for population viability analysis.
- NTRES 7283 - Special topics in molecular ecology including semesters focused on nonmodel genomics, phenotypic plasticity and conservation genomics
Contact Information
Fernow Hall 205
Ithaca, NY 14853
mph75 [at] cornell.edu
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