JASON STOCKWELL

Director of the Rubenstein Ecosystem Science Laboratory; Professor of Aquatic Ecology in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources with a secondary appointment in the Department of Biology; Fulbright Scholar 2018

jason.stockwell@uvm.edu

My research interests focus broadly on food web dynamics, with specific interests in how animal behavior and environmental conditions affect trophic interactions. I work in systems ranging from small, hyper-eutrophic ponds to large, deep oligotrophic lakes, and on organisms ranging from phytoplankton to apex piscivores. My active areas of research include the influence and impact of diel vertical migration on invertebrate population structure, how cyanobacteria blooms influence energetic pathways, the impact of spatial resource subsidies on winter food web interactions, and the role of environmental disturbance on phytoplankton biodiversity. For more information see my google profile.

Adebukola Aborigho

PhD Student in the Rubenstein School

adebukola.aborigho@uvm.edu

Zooplankton and other freshwater invertebrates are excellent bioindicators of lake health and are very sensitive to the different stressors that are introduced into our freshwater systems. For my PhD, I propose to investigate the interactive effect of multiple stressors (e.g., salts, climate warming, nutrients) on zooplankton diversity, abundance, and community composition in temperate lakes using a combination of mesocosm experiments and field surveys. My previous research work was on the evaluation of the biodiversity of zooplankton species in relation to the physicochemical parameters of tropical rivers and lakes in Nigeria. My PhD research will help to broaden our understanding of how different stressors affect the dynamics of zooplankton, their cascading effect on freshwater food webs, and how to better predict their impacts and make decisions to manage them.

Izzy Anderson

BSc Student in the Rubenstein School

isabel.anderson@uvm.edu

Izzy works with Anna Schmidt to assess rotifers and zooplankton for the FOAMZ and FOAMZ II projects conducted at the CEREEP-Ecotron Ile-de-France “PLANAQUA” in Saint-Pierre-lès-Nemours, France. She is investigating diel vertical and horizontal migrations.

Hannah Cane

BSc Student in the Rubenstein School

hannah.cane@uvm.edu

Hannah works with Jason Stockwell and Ariana Chiapella to evaluate partial diel vertical migration of Mysis diluviana using stable isotopes.

Rosaura Chapina

PhD Student in the Rubenstein School

rosaura.chapina@uvm.edu

My research interests include population genetics, food web interactions and how they are being affected by climate change. I am specifically interested in behavioral ecology and investigating if environmental stressors have an impact on Mysis behavior. I am assisting on a project where the spatial variability and the drivers of Mysis partial diel vertical migration will be analyzed.

althea deschenes

BSc Student in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Althea.Deschenes@uvm.edu

Althea currently works with Rosaura Chapina on Mysis ecology in lakes Champlain and Ontario.

Chris Floreani

BSc Student in the Rubenstein School

christopher.floreani@uvm.edu

Chris works with Justin Lesser on food web ecology of Lake Champlain, with a focus on trout-perch ecology.

NATALIE FLORES

PhD Student in the Rubenstein School

natalie.flores@uvm.edu

My research interests include aquatic ecology, environmental toxicology, and understanding how chemical substances affect organisms and ecosystems. My doctoral dissertation focuses on enhancing the knowledge on impacts of cyanobacterial blooms on different parts of the environment, including water, fish, and air. I’m using a combination of existing data in a global analysis and new data from field sampling to address these issues. By learning more about the increased presence and effects of cyanobacteria in multiple areas of the environment, I will help identify and characterize potential routes of human exposure to cyanobacteria toxins. I will also broaden the knowledge on nutritional considerations of cyanobacteria blooms on fish, ecological impacts of harmful cyanobacteria, and environmental patterns in cyanobacteria and their bioactive chemical products.

Catie Giffen

BSc Student in the Rubenstein School

catherine.giffen@uvm.edu

Catie works with Rosie Chapina on Mysis diluviana behavior.

Marie-Pier Hébert

Post-Doc in the Rubenstein School starting in January 2022

mphebert4@gmail.com

I am broadly interested in the ecology of freshwater ecosystems and food webs, and how their functioning may be disrupted by global change. I try to use a variety of approaches to address my research questions, combining data syntheses, field-based experiments, and observational surveys. My previous work has focused on the effects of changes in land use and climate on lake planktonic food webs and basal resources (PhD), as well as the application of functional traits to zooplankton communities in both marine and freshwater ecosystems (MSc). As part of my postdoctoral research in the Stockwell lab, I will pursue my interests in winter limnology and investigate the food sources and processes supporting lake food webs under ice.

sally huston

BSc Student in the Rubenstein School

sally.huston@uvm.edu

Sally works with Jason Stockwell and Ariana Chiapella to evaluate partial diel vertical migration of Mysis diluviana using stable isotopes.

Justin Lesser

Post-Doc in the Rubenstein School

Justin.Lesser@uvm.edu

I am broadly interested in dynamics and energy flow in food webs. Previously, I used stable isotope analysis and field studies to understand how landscape features influence the ability of mobile consumers to move energy between disparate habitats. Additionally, I have developed novel analysis techniques to use isotope data to quantify multidimensional trophic niches, as well as understand how a landscape is producing the resources required to support food webs. For my postdoctoral research, I am developing a food web model of Lake Champlain to better understand the impact different ecological events have had on the lake’s food web as well as predict what we might expect to see in the future.

jackie mauro

Post-Doc in the Rubenstein School

Jacquelyn.Mauro@uvm.edu

Jackie works with Justin Lesser on the food web ecology of Lake Champlain.

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Mia Mcreynolds

PhD Student in the Rubenstein School

amelia.mcreynolds@uvm.edu

I am interested in linking ecosystem ecology, anthropogenic change, and fish population dynamics in aquatic habitats around the Great Lakes. My research will use long-term datasets to quantify changes in the forage fish community of Lake Champlain. Non-native alewife became established by 2007, as rainbow smelt and other native species declined. I will set these changes in the forage fish community in the context of environmental change, species introductions, and piscivorous fish populations to support understanding and management of Lake Champlain’s fisheries.

Bianca possamai

Post-Doc in the Rubenstein School

bianca.possamai@uvm.edu

My research interests are related to the aquatic trophic chains, understanding the interspecific relationships and the influence of climate events on the ecosystem attributes and species composition, as well as evaluating the carbon and nitrogen flow among adjacent systems. During my PhD, I worked with the influence of El Niño events in the estuarine trophic structure, and resources contribution to estuarine consumers, using both approaches of trophic guilds composition, and stable isotopic technique. In my postdoc research, I will be working with the role of lake reefs as areas of resource concentration and increased biological activity and diversity, as well as evaluating the species interactions and the influence of the environment in the species composition and other ecosystem attributes in Lake Champlain.

anna schmidt

PhD Student in the Department of Biology

Anna.Schmidt@uvm.edu

My research interests include aquatic food web ecology, migration behavior of the lower food web, invasive species impacts, Mysis ecology, and the impacts of environmental change on aquatic ecosystems. I will be helping to analyze samples we collected from experimental ponds at the PLANAQUA facility in France to investigate diel vertical migration (DVM) and diel horizontal migration (DHM) of zooplankton and rotifers in response to different nutrient and fish treatments. By understanding the impacts of these factors on DVM and DHM, this research will improve estimates of zooplankton and rotifer biomass and subsequent impacts on broader food web dynamics and ecosystem function.

Allie shiers

BSc Student in the Rubenstein School

ashiers@uvm.edu

Allie is working with Justin Lesser on the food web ecology of Lake Champlain with a focus on benthic invertebrates. She is also working with Ellen Marsden and Mark Henderson on walleye movement using acoustic telemetry.