Laura Guderyahn

Laura Guderyahn is a conservation scientist and program leader with expertise in community-centered conservation, urban ecology, and applied ecological research. Her work focuses on integrating ecological science, community knowledge, and partnership-driven implementation to advance conservation outcomes for both people and biodiversity.

Her research focuses on freshwater turtle ecology, with an emphasis on population dynamics, habitat use, and the impacts of invasive species on native communities. She has led long-term studies comparing historical and contemporary populations to better understand changes in demographic structure, recruitment, and species composition over time. Her work increasingly bridges ecological research and applied conservation, using field-based data to inform management decisions and to strengthen the integration of ecological and social outcomes in conservation practice.

Publications

• Krige, R.N, Rivera, C, Guderyahn, L.B, Holzer, K. 2026. How beavers affect habitat availability for two native Oregon turtle species. Journal of Wildlife Management. In Press.
• Yan, C, Guderyahn, L, Corkran, C, Wagner, S, Chan, L.M. 2025. Population genomic investigation of the Oregon Slender Salamander (Batrachoseps wrighti) reveals suburban populations are remnants, not recent introductions. Conservation Genetics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-025-01710-5
• Kuzmin, Y, Svitin R, McAllister, C.T, Guderyahn, LB, and Tkach, V.V. 2024. Are we still only scratching the surface? Descriptions and phylogenetic affinities of two new species of Rhabdias (Stiles and Hassall, 1905; Nematoda: Rhabdiasidae) from North American Frogs. Journal of Parasitology. 110(4) 339–350.
• Yang, C.E, Guderyahn, L, Miles, D, And Chan, LM. 2024. Discovery of  introduced populations of California slender salamanders (Batrachoseps attenuatus) in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area.Northwestern Naturalist. 105:187–192
• Guderyahn, L.B. and Lagalbo, M. 2023. Chapter 5: Portland’s Conservation Organizations: Acknowledging Racial Inequity and Responding with Community-Informed Solutions. In Urban Biodiversity and Equity: Justice-Centered Conservation in Cities. M. Lambert & C. Schell (eds). Oxford Press.
• Guderyahn, L.B, E.M. Stewart, S.G. Bielke, C. de Rivera, and M.P. Hayes. 2023. Long-term recapture of Chrysemys picta belli (Western painted turtle): Longevity Implications. NW Naturalist. 104: 71-74.
• Guderyahn, L.B, A. Smithers, M. Mims. 2016. Assessing habitat requirements of pond-breeding amphibians in a highly urbanized landscape: implications for management. Urban Ecosystems. 19 (4): 1801-1821.
• Guderyahn, L.B, C. Musson, A. Smithers, B. Wishnek, C. Corkran. 2010. Observations of the Oregon Slender Salamander (Batrachoceps wrightorum) in suburban landscapes. Northwest Natural. 09-41.
• Guderyahn, L.B. 2006. Nationwide assessment of morphological abnormalities observed in amphibians collected from United States National Wildlife Refuges: U.S. Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Report CBFO-C06-01.
• Guderyahn, L.B., S. Hager, and L. Scott. 2005. Evidence to support the presence of Cope’s Gray Treefrog (Hyla chrysoscelis) and the absence of the Eastern Gray Treefrog (Hyla versicolor) at Green Wing Environmental Laboratory in Northcentral Illinois. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science. 9: 219-226.
• Guderyahn, L.B., S. Hager, and L. Scott. 2005. An improved method for karyotyping anuran chromosomes. Herpetological Review. 36 (1): 44-45.