My research
focuses on describing the structure and function of
species-rich tropical food webs, especially with respect
to how these complex food webs are impacted by human
activities. Important discoveries regarding food webs
typically have emerged from work conducted in relatively
isolated temperate systems (e.g. lakes), or in ecosystems
where interactions can be experimentally manipulated
at small spatial scales (e.g. the rocky intertidal).
Yet much of the world’s species diversity is located
in tropical and sub-tropical ecosystems, and a better
understanding of the ecology of these systems is necessary
to assess community- and ecosystem-level responses to
anthropogenic impacts. My research program is centered
in two ecosystems: floodplain rivers of Venezuela, and
sub-tropical Caribbean estuaries. By describing human
impacts within a food web context, I endeavor to provide
predictive power regarding specific environmental problems,
yet still allowing for generality that will broaden
the theoretical foundations and applications of food
web ecology.
I will be starting a faculty position in the Marine
Biology Program at Florida International University
in August 2006. Prospective graduate students should
contact me by email.
Current Projects
Previous Projects
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