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About Dr. Gatto

I am currently a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Illinois Natural History Survey-Great Rivers Field Station under the advisement of Dr. John Chick.  My current research focuses on understanding the environmental factors influencing fish communities within the Upper Mississippi River System (UMRS).

My goal as a researcher is to investigate the population- and community-level responses of fish species to anthropogenic modification of aquatic ecosystems.  Specifically, I aim to use my experience with long-term biological, environmental, and hydrological datasets to answer ecological issues impacting fish species over time.

I began my undergraduate studies at the University of South Carolina in 2008.  I studied Marine Science with an emphasis in Biological Oceanography.  I first dipped my foot in research under the advisement of Dr. Joseph Quattro in his Population Genetics lab.  I eventually learned that Ecology was my true calling and started working for Dr. Blaine Griffen in his Community Ecology lab.  I conducted my early research at the Baruch Marine Field Lab in Georgetown, SC.  I finished my undergraduate degree in December 2011.  I then began work on my PhD in Fall 2012 at Florida International University where I was awarded my PhD in December 2019.