I'm interested in how populations and communities are structured, how they respond to
environmental change, and how these responses mediate freshwater ecosystem functioning. Concepts of
habitat selection, community assembly, and biodiversity-ecosystem function provide a
useful ecological and evolutionary framework to address these topics.
environmental change, and how these responses mediate freshwater ecosystem functioning. Concepts of
habitat selection, community assembly, and biodiversity-ecosystem function provide a
useful ecological and evolutionary framework to address these topics.
Current Research: Causes and consequences of habitat selection
Animals can adapt, move, or die in the face of changing environments. Theories of habitat selection outline the evolutionary mechanisms and potential population implications of movement among habitats. Habitat availability mediates these outcomes, connecting basic habitat selection research with alternative habitat management scenarios.
My dissertation examines breeding habitat selection by migratory brook trout. Many salmonid populations spawn across groundwater-induced thermal gradients despite the perceived benefits of spawning in warmer waters (e.g., higher offspring survival and competitive performance). We are 1) testing alternative hypotheses that explain adult habitat choice across thermal gradients and 2) evaluating breeding habitat selection as a potential mechanism for coping with a changing climate (warmer, wetter winters and earlier spring iceout).
My dissertation examines breeding habitat selection by migratory brook trout. Many salmonid populations spawn across groundwater-induced thermal gradients despite the perceived benefits of spawning in warmer waters (e.g., higher offspring survival and competitive performance). We are 1) testing alternative hypotheses that explain adult habitat choice across thermal gradients and 2) evaluating breeding habitat selection as a potential mechanism for coping with a changing climate (warmer, wetter winters and earlier spring iceout).
Past Research: Community assembly and ecosystem consequences of species losses and gains
Ecosystem functions like biomass production generally increase with the number of species in a community. But does this relationship hold in natural communities that are continually reshaped by species extinctions, non-native introductions, and changes in the relative abundance of these community members? My past research has examined 1) if trait and phylogenetic information clarifies species interactions, community assembly, and ecosystem functioning mechanisms and 2) if diversity increases the magnitude and stability of community-level biomass in both controlled and natural settings.