JLab Studying global change, one organism at a time
I am a marine ecologist who studies how global changes (sea-level rise, climate change, nutrient enrichment, invasive species) affect coastal ecosystems. With 7 billion people on the planet and a predicted growth of 9 billion by the time I’m thinking about retirement (2050), our impact on the planet will likely continue to grow. I am interested in how ecosystems will be altered as viewed through the lens of animal and plant responses to global changes. For instance, how does increasing sea-level affect trophic interactions in intertidal communities? In this way, I can address questions of how global changes can affect top-down (consumer) and bottom-up (resource) control of communities, food-web structure, biodiversity and ecosystem functioning, and the role of species traits (behavior, morphology) in structuring communities. Most, but not all, of my research is focused consumer-consumed interactions. If you want to join the lab as a post-doc, intern, graduate student, or lead cat-herder then check out the tab above for opportunities. When you send me an email put BananaSquid in the subject line.
I employ field studies and complementary laboratory studies to address my questions. I am very much a field ecologist. The field is a wonderful living laboratory where I am immersed in the first step of the scientific method, observation.
I love invertebrates.
Science Communcation
Science communication, beyond publishing in peer-reviewed journals, is a critical component of my science. Much of my communication has been via newspaper articles and essays. Some of this stems from my being fascinated with the natural world and wanting to share those experiences with others. It also stems from my desire to take science from the dusty e-files of arcane journals and make that information available to a broader audience. In that vein, you can follow my blog and follow me on Twitter @DavidSamJohnson.