I am an ecologist who works primarily in marine ecosystems.  I am interested in how human activities can alter ecosystem structure and function.  I am also very interested in any animal without a spine.  My dissertation focused on the interplay of top-down and bottom-up controls on invertebrate saltmarsh consumers and how anthropogenic activities such as nutrient loading can alter food webs.  My work focuses on understanding the relationships between organisms (e.g., predator-prey, herbivore-plant dynamics) and how environmental factors such as anthropogenic activities and gradients influence them.  I use large-scale (hectares) and small spatial-scale (m2) experimental field studies to examine general ecological theories.  In general, my interests include top-down/bottom-up control, predator-prey interactions, community ecology (e.g., trophic omnivory, co-occurrence patterns), and trait (e.g., behavoir) mediated effects in food webs.  I am currently a research associate at the Marine Biological Laboratory and a visiting assistant professor at Sewanee:  University of the South.  Please use the tabs above to learn more about my work.  Thank you for visiting my site.

~David