Senior Ecologist
michelle.krasnec@briwildlife.org
303-513-9057

Michelle is an environmental biologist with expertise in environmental toxicology, aquatic and terrestrial ecology, entomology, natural resource damage assessment (NRDA), risk assessment, and restoration. She manages and provides technical support for a variety of environmental studies.

Michelle works closely with academics, private and government laboratories, and Tribal nations to characterize the impacts of contaminants to terrestrial communities, aquatic communities, and human health. She also supports natural resource trustees in all aspects of NRDA, including understanding site conditions and injuries to natural resources, restoration planning, evaluation, and scaling. Michelle has managed, developed, and implemented field studies and laboratory testing on many species of fish and invertebrates across the United States.

Education

• University of Colorado, Boulder, 2012 – Ph.D., Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
• University of California, Berkeley, 2003 – B.S. Molecular Environmental Biology

Certifications

• 40-Hour Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response (HAZWOPER)
• Project Management Professional (PMP)

• Natural Resource Damage Assessment
• Risk Assessment
• Environmental support to Indigenous communities
• Environmental Toxicology
• Restoration Planning

Alloy, M., T. Garner, K. Bridges, C. Mansfield, M. Carney, H. Forth, M. Krasnec, C. Lay, R. Takeshita, J. Morris, S. Bonnot, J. Oris, and A. Roberts. 2016. Co-exposure to sunlight enhances the toxicity of naturally weathered Deepwater Horizon oil to early lifestage red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) and speckled seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry doi:10.1002/etc.3640. 

Brown-Peterson, N.J., M.O. Krasnec, C.R. Lay, J.M. Morris, and R.J. Griffitt. 2016. Responses of juvenile southern flounder exposed to Deepwater Horizon oil-contaminated sediments. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. doi:10.1002/etc.3629. 

Lotufo, G.R., J.D. Farrar, J.M. Biedenbach, J.G. Laird, M.O. Krasnec, C. Lay, J.M. Morris, and M.L. Gielazyn. 2016. Effects of sediment amended with Deepwater Horizon incident slick oil on the infaunal amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus. Marine Pollution Bulletin 109(1):253–258.

Vignier, J., P. Soudant, F.L.E. Chu, J.M. Morris, M.W. Carney, C.R. Lay, M.O. Krasnec, R. Robert, and A.K. Volety. 2016. Lethal and sub-lethal effects of Deepwater Horizon slick oil and dispersant on oyster (Crassostrea virginica) larvae. Marine Environmental Research 120:20–31.

Zengel, S., S.C. Pennings, B. Silliman, C. Montague, J. Weaver, D.R. Deis, M.O. Krasnec, N. Rutherford, and Z. Nixon. 2016. Deepwater Horizon oil spill impacts on salt marsh fiddler crabs (Uca spp.). Estuaries and Coasts 39:1154–1163. doi:10.1007/s12237-016-0072-6. 

Brown-Peterson, N.J., M. Krasnec, R. Takeshita, C.N. Ryan, K.J. Griffitt, C. Lay, G.D. Mayer, K.M. Bayha, W.E. Hawkins, I. Lipton, J. Morris, and R.J. Griffitt. 2015. A multiple endpoint analysis of the effects of chronic exposure to sediment contaminated with Deepwater Horizon oil on juvenile southern flounder and their associated microbiomes. Aquatic Toxicology 165(August):197–209. 

Vignier, J., L. Donaghy, P. Soudant, F.L. Chu, J.M. Morris, M.W. Carney, C. Lay, M. Krasnec, R. Robert, and A.K. Volety. 2015. Impacts of Deepwater Horizon oil and associated dispersant on early development of the eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. Marine Pollution Bulletin 100(1):426–437. 

Krasnec, M.O. and M.D. Breed. 2013. Colony-specific cuticular hydrocarbon profile in Formica argentea ants. Journal of Chemical Ecology 39:59–66.

Lenz, E., M.O. Krasnec, and M.D. Breed. 2013. Identification of undecane as alarm pheromone in the ant Formica argentea. Journal of Insect Behavior 26:101–108.

Breed, M.D., C. Cook, and M.O. Krasnec. 2012. Cleptobiosis in social insects. Psyche 2012:ID 484765. doi:10.1155/2012/484765.

Krasnec, M.O. and M.D. Breed. 2012. Eusocial evolution and the recognition systems in social insects. In Sensing Systems in Nature, C. López-Larrea (ed.). Landes Bioscience, Austin, TX.

Krasnec, M.O., C. Cook, and M.D. Breed. 2012. Mating systems in sexual animals. Nature Education Knowledge 3:72.

Krasnec, M.O., H.P. Forth, M. Carney, J.M. Morris, R. Griffitt, and N. Brown-Peterson. 2015. Characterization of the Various Sediments Collected for Toxicity Testing in Support of the Deepwater Horizon Natural Horizon Damage Assessment. Technical Report. Prepared by Abt Associates, Boulder, CO and University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, MS, for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Assessment and Restoration Division, Seattle, WA. August 31. 

Krasnec, M.O., J.M. Morris, and C. Lay. 2015. An Evaluation of the Toxicity of Deep Sea Sediment Collected after the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill on the Amphipod Leptocheirus plumulosus. Technical Report. Prepared by Abt Associates, Boulder, CO, for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Assessment and Restoration Division, Seattle, WA. August 28. 

Morris, J.M., M.O. Krasnec, M.W. Carney, H.P. Forth, C.R. Lay, I. Lipton, A.K. McFadden, R. Takeshita, D. Cacela, J.V. Holmes, and J. Lipton. 2015. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill Natural Resource Damage Assessment Comprehensive Toxicity Testing Program: Overview, Methods, and Results. Technical Report. Prepared by Abt Associates, Boulder, CO, for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Assessment and Restoration Division, Seattle, WA. December 16.

Ortell, N., K.M. Bayha, R. Takeshita, K.J. Griffitt, M. Krasnec, C. Lay, J.M. Morris, and R.J. Griffitt. 2015. The Immunotoxic Effects of Deepwater Horizon Oil on Coastal Gulf of Mexico Fish Species. Technical Report. Prepared by University of Southern Mississippi, Ocean Springs, MS, and Abt Associates, Boulder, CO, for the State of Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, Baton Rouge, LA. August 31.