Lisa Faust

Dr. Lisa Faust


Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

22Years (2005-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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14 July 2005 in Zoo Biology
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LFLisa Faust
Lisa Faust
STSteven D. Thompson
Steven D. Thompson
JEJoanne M. Earnhardt
Joanne M. Earnhardt

10 January 2019 in Zoo Biology
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Journal Article
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David PowellDavid Powell
David Powell
CDCandice L. Dorsey
Candice L. Dorsey
LFLisa Faust
Lisa Faust

6 January 2019 in Zoo Biology
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Journal Article
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LFLisa Faust
Lisa Faust
SLSarah T. Long
Sarah T. Long
KPKaitlyn Perišin
Kaitlyn Perišin
JSJuniper L. Simonis
Juniper L. Simonis

8 March 2011 in International Journal of Primatology
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Journal Article
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LFLisa Faust
Lisa Faust
DCDoug Cress
Doug Cress
KFKay H. Farmer
Kay H. Farmer
SRStephen R. Ross
Stephen R. Ross
BBBenjamin B. Beck
Benjamin B. Beck

4 January 2019 in Zoo Biology
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JCJudy Che‐Castaldo
Judy Che‐Castaldo
BJBrent Johnson
Brent Johnson
NMNicole Magrisso
Nicole Magrisso
LMLauren Mechak
Lauren Mechak
KMKayla Melton
Kayla Melton
LFLisa Faust
Lisa Faust

18 August 2025 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
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Journal Article
Open access
MCMeaghan I. Clark
Meaghan I. Clark
EHEric T. Hileman
Eric T. Hileman
JMJennifer A. Moore
Jennifer A. Moore
LFLisa Faust
Lisa Faust
RJRandall E. Junge
Randall E. Junge
SFSarah W. Fitzpatrick
Sarah W. Fitzpatrick
Small and fragmented populations are at high risk of local extinction, in part because of elevated inbreeding and subsequent inbreeding depression. A major conservation priority is to identify the mechanisms and extent of inbreeding depression in small populations. The eastern massasauga ( Sistrurus catenatus ) rattlesnake is listed as Federally Threatened in the United States, having experienced significant habitat fragmentation and concomitant population declines over the past 200 years. Here, we use long-term monitoring of two wild populations of eastern massasaugas in Michigan to estimate the extent of inbreeding in each population, identify mechanisms that generate inbreeding, and test for the impact of inbreeding on fitness. Using targeted genomic data and spatial coordinates of capture locations from over 1000 individuals, we find evidence of inbreeding and link inbreeding to spatial kinship structure within populations, possibly driven by limited dispersal. We reconstruct multigenerational pedigrees for each population to measure reproductive output and use long-term capture–recapture data to estimate individual survival (i.e., the two major components of fitness). We find evidence of inbreeding depression in both fitness metrics. The 5% most inbred individuals are 13.5% less likely to have any surviving offspring and have 11.6% lower annual survival compared to all less inbred individuals. By combining genomics and long-term monitoring data, we are able to link the life history of eastern massasaugas to inbreeding and detect relationships between fitness and inbreeding. These insights provide important conservation context for future management and for understanding how spatial structure can generate inbreeding depression even at fine spatial scales.