Mesocosm

Researchers from the University of Queensland were building an elaborate Plexiglas mesocosm that was going to allow them to manipulate CO₂ levels on a patch of reef, even as it allowed the various creatures that depend on the reef to swim in and out.

My lab studies the connections between population, community and ecosystem ecology in aquatic environments. We are particularly interested in the flow of energy between trophic levels, the impact of consumers on their resources, and the control of species diversity. We use broad geographic comparisons, mesocosm experiments and theory to address these questions. My students have worked in communities of freshwater plankton, marine fishes and intertidal algae and invertebrates.