My research broadly focuses on the interplay of biological structures and their functions, and how these relationships shape an ecosystem.  
Scroll to bottom for list of publications. 

Biomechanics of locomotion

I apply concepts from engineering and physics to answer biological questions: How does an aquatic animal use its body to swim effectively? What aspects of the body makes it good at swimming? Answering these questions will improve our understand of how aquatic animal bodies work and how that affects their life histories. This line of research also provides inspiration for new designs for underwater vehicles.

Projects:
-Pressure and forces produced by freely-swimming fish and jellyfish
-Modeling non-uniformly flexible propulsors
-Bending patterns in swimming and flying animals

Climate change effects on freshwater fishes

As climate change warms up inland lakes, cool-water fishes like walleye are put under stress.  How does this stress play out in walleye, and how does it relate to their shifting range?  And how do competition and predation from similar, warm-water species intersect with these changes?  Answering questions like these can help us understand what will happen to important fishing targets like walleye as lakes warm up and inform management practices by government agencies.

Projects:
-Acute and chronic effects of temperature on walleye metabolism
-Systematic review & meta-analysis of the impacts of climate change on fish physiology

Feeding by gelatinous zooplankton

The abundance of gelatinous organisms in ocean waters has been growing in recent years, and their abnormally-large presence is often a symptom of an unhealthy ecosystem. It is crucial to understand the roles that these planktivorous predators play in order to predict and manage the impact of environmental changes.

Projects:
-Mechanics of stealth predation by a freshwater jelly
-Feeding rates of ctenophores in turbulent and calm conditions

Older projects

Field Surveys - Field surveys provide an avenue for understanding what biotic and abiotic features make up an ecosystem and how they change over time.  Projects:
-Ctenophore abundances during turbulent and calm water conditions
-Benthic organisms in a small, muddy-bottomed river
-Currents in a small river during ebb and flood tides
-Thames River Estuary trawl surveys
​
​Aquaculture - I have maintained stocks of the following organisms for research, student projects, and classroom use:
-Copepods (Parvocalanus sp.)
​-Phytoplankton (Isochrysis, Rhodomonas, Thalassiosira)
-Bluegill sunfish, largemouth bass
-Moon jellies (Aurelia aurita)
-Artemia

Publications

  • Costello JH, Colin SP, Dabiri JO, Gemmell BJ, Lucas KN, and Sutherland KR. (2021) The hydrodynamics of jellyfish swimming. Annu Rev Mar Sci 13: 375-396. doi: 10.1146/annurev-marine-031120-091442 [Link] 
  • Dabiri JO, Colin SP, Gemmell BJ, Lucas KN, Leftwich MC, and Costello JH. (2020) Jellyfish and fish solve the challenges of turning similarly to achieve high maneuverability. Fluids 5(3): 106. doi: 10.3390/fluids5030106 [Link]
  • Lucas KN, Lauder GV, and Tytell ED. (2020) Airfoil-like mechanics generate thrust on the anterior body of swimming fishes. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 117(19): 10585-10592. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1919055117 [Link]
  • Jaspers C, Costello JH, Sutherland K, Gemmell B, Lucas KN, Tackett J, Dodge K, and Colin SP.
    2018. Resilience in moving water: Effects of turbulence on the predatory impact of the lobate ctenophore Mnemiopsis leidyi. Limnol Oceanogr. 63: 445–458. doi: 10.1002/lno.10642 [Link]
  • Lucas KN, Dabiri JO, and Lauder GV. 2017. A pressure-based force and torque prediction technique for the study of fish-like swimming. PLoS ONE. 12(12): e0189225. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0189225​ [Link]
  • Rosic MLN, Thornycroft PJM, Feilich KL, Lucas KN, and Lauder GV. 2017. Performance variation due to stiffness in a tuna-inspired flexible foil model. Bioinspir Biomim. 12: 016011. doi: 10.1088/1748-3190/aa5113. [Link]  
  • Lucas KN, Thornycroft PJM, Gemmell BJ, Colin SP, Costello JH, and Lauder GV. 2015. Effects of non-uniform stiffness on swimming performance of a passively-flexing, fish-like foil model. Bioinspir Biomim. 10: 056019. doi: 10.1088/1748-3190/10/5/056019. [Link]
  • Lucas KN, Johnson N, Beaulieu WT, Cathcart E, Tirrell G, Colin SP, Gemmell BJ, Dabiri JO, and Costello JH. 2014. Bending rules for animal propulsion. Nat Commun. 5:3293. doi: 10.1038/ncomms4293. [Link]
  • Lucas K, Colin SP, Costello JH, Katija K, and Klos E. 2013. Fluid interactions that enable stealth predation by the upstream foraging hydromedusae Craspedacusta sowerbyi. Biol Bull. 225: 60-70. doi: 10.1086/BBLv225n1p60​ [Link]