Biography

I am a fifth year PhD candidate in Dr. Suzanne Alonzo’s lab in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. I am interested in the coevolution of females and males using a combination of empirical work and mathematical modeling. For my dissertation, I am researching how females influence the evolution of male behavior via cryptic female choice (females bias fertilization to specific males) and how cryptic female choice affects speciation. I am also an independent R Shiny web app developer.

Download my CV.

Any opinion, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in material on this website are those of my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Interests
  • Coevolution
  • Sexual Selection
  • Alternative Reproductive tactics
  • R
  • Julia
Education

  • PhD Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, In progress

    University of California, Santa Cruz

  • B.S in Biology and B.A. Computer Science, 2018

    University of Virginia

Current Research Projects

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All Sperm competition Theory Cryptic female choice
Mar 17, 2022
Alternative reproductive tactics
Alternative reproductive tactics

Understanding the evolution of alternative reproductive tactics.
Mar 17, 2022
Cryptic female choice theory
Cryptic female choice theory

Understanding the coevolutionary dynamics of cryptic female choice.
Mar 17, 2022
Reproductive manipulating endosymbionts
Reproductive manipulating endosymbionts

Ecological and evolutionary consequences of reproductive manipulators in marine invertebrates.
Mar 17, 2022
Sexual selection in lizards
Sexual selection in lizards

Understanding sexual selection in a wild population of brown anoles.

Publications

Matthew Kustra, Kelly Stiver, Susan Marsh-Rollo, Jennifer Hellmann, Suzanne Alonzo (2023). Social environment influences the temporal dynamics of sneak-spawning in a fish with alternative reproductive tactics. Am. Nat.

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Matthew Kustra, Suzanne Alonzo (2023). The coevolutionary dynamics of cryptic female choice. Evol. Lett.

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Matthew Kustra, Tyler Carrier (2022). On the spread of microbes that manipulate reproduction in marine invertebrates. Am. Nat.

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Ariel Kahrl, Matthew Kustra, Aaron Reedy, Rachana Bhave, Heidi Seears, Daniel Warner, Robert Cox (2021). Selection on Sperm Count, but Not on Sperm Morphology or Velocity, in a Wild Population of Anolis Lizards. Cells.

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Melissa Cronin, Suzanne Alonzo, Stephanie Adamczak, D. Nevé Baker, Roxanne Beltran, Abraham Borker, Arina Favilla, Remy Gatins, Laura Goetz, Nicole Hack, Julia Harenčár, Elizabeth Howard, Matthew Kustra, Rossana Maguiña, Lourdes Martinez-Estevez, Rita Mehta, Ingrid Parker, Kyle Reid, May Roberts, Sabrina Shirazi, Theresa-Anne M. Tatom-Naecker, Kelley Voss, Ellen Willis-Norton, Bee Vadakan, Ana Valenzuela-Toro, Erika Zavaleta (2021). Anti-racist interventions to transform ecology, evolution and conservation biology departments. Nat. Ecol. Evol.

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Matthew Kustra, Suzanne Alonzo (2020). Sperm and alternative reproductive tactics: a review of existing theory and empirical data. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B.

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Matthew Kustra, Ariel Kahrl, Aaron Reedy, Daniel Warner, Robert Cox (2019). Sperm morphology and count vary with fine-scale changes in local density in a wild lizard population. Oecologia.

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Other projects

 
 
 
 
 
Fisheries Data Analyst
University of California, Santa Cruz
Nov 2022 – Present California
I write R scripts to analyze and visualize fishery data. We are helping to inform California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s implementation of the Marine Life Management Act and other policies. Specifically focusing on the socioeconomic and behavioral impacts of domoic acid-related management measures on the state’s crab fisheries and seafood supply systems.
 
 
 
 
 
R Shiny web app developer
Fish Innovations Lab; Mississippi State University
Jun 2021 – Present California
I am developing a R Shiny web app for USAID-Feed the Future Initiative project, “Increasing sustainability of fisheries for resilience of Cambodian communities.” This tool empowers community fisheries management councils in Cambodia to better assess trends in their fishery and make more informed management decisions. This web app features interactive graphs, maps, and allows users to translate between English and Khmer.
 
 
 
 
 
Investigative Research Analyst Intern
AMPEL BioSolutions
May 2018 – Aug 2018 Virginia
Characterization of the genetic signature of circulating plasma cells (PC) in Systematic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE). Identified candidate drugs that target this genetic signature. Investigated tissue infiltration of PC in SLE patients.
 
 
 
 
 
NSF REU Fellow
Reitzel Laboratory; UNC Charlotte
May 2017 – Aug 2017 North Carolina
Characterization of Nemtatostella vectensis (starlet sea anemone) sperm proteome and its evolution across Metazoa using bioinformatic methods including gene ontology analyses and gene tree reconstructions.