Zach Aanderud
Ajay Bhardwaj
Alex Eilts
Mary Anne Evans
Antonio Golubski
Laurel Hartley
Claire McSwiney
Neville Millar
Jonathan O'Brien
Bruce Robertson
Donald Schoolmaster
Chris Steiner
Kohei Yoshiyama

Name: Zach Aanderud (aanderud@msu.edu)
Department: Kellogg Biological Station
Lab: Jay Lennon
Research Interests:
Research Location: Kellogg Biological Station
Degrees Held: Ph.D. 2006, University of California - Davis; M.S. 2003, University of California - Davis
Statement: Precipitation events induce temporal variability in soil moisture and create rapid and dramatic physiological responses by soil bacteria.  My research focuses on how fluctuations in soil moisture via precipitation influences belowground ecosystem processes, microbial stress physiology, and the linkages between these two fields.  Presently, I am evaluating how intra-annual precipitation variability influences CO2 flux from agricultural and natural ecosystems through field precipitation manipulations and real-time CO2 and soil moisture measurements.  This research will determine how intra-annual variability in soil moisture mediates fine-grain temporal changes in CO2 flux and assess the role of land use practices in inluencing this interaction.  In these same field preciptation manipulations, I am using "heavy" water (H218O) stable isotope probing to determine which individual strains of bacteria are predominantly responsible for the immense fluxes of CO2 following soil rewetting.  In addition to advancing our collective understanding of microbial water stress physiology, this research will help predict if future changes in precipitation, induced by rising global temperatures, will have a positive or negative feedback on global warming.

Name:  Ajay Bhardwaj
Department:  Kellogg Biological Station
Lab:  Hamilton
Research Location:  KBS

Name:  Alex Eilts (eilts@kbs.msu.edu)
Department:  Kellogg Biological Station
Lab:  Kay Gross, Gary Mittelbach
Research Interests:  Mechanisms of diversity maintenance in plant communities, physiological responses of plants to non-trophic interactions, and impacts of shifts in species abundance and composition within plant communities
Degrees Held: Ph.D. 2007, University of Arizona; B.S. 2001, University of Maryland – College Park
Statement: Changes in both the biotic and abiotic environment can alter the patterns of species abundance and diversity in communities.  My research utilizes ecophysiology to mechanistically address the processes of coexistence in plant communities, with implications for how species attain abundance and why rare species persist.  I have applied these general questions to studies of exotic species invasions, the mechanisms of their numerical success as well as their impacts on the native flora.  I am currently involved in a project investigating the interactions between soil resource heterogeneity and clonality in an experimental plant community.  My focus, within the larger scope of the project is on how clonal integration may alter the interactions between clonal and unitary plants, and between species of neighboring unitary species.  I will continue to use my ecophysiological background to work toward uncovering the mechanisms which are the drivers of change within these experimental communities.

Name:  Mary Anne Evans
Department:  Kellogg Biological Station
Lab:  Litchman
Research Interests:  Theoretical and empirical phytoplankton ecology
Research Location:  Kellogg Biological Station
Degrees Held:  Ph.D. 2007, University of Michigan; M.S. 2001, University of Michigan
Statement: My research focuses on the controls of phytoplankton productivity and community composition. Currently I am investigating the controls on abundance of Microcystis, a toxin producing cyanobacteria known to cause harmful algal blooms.  Over the next two years, I will be developing a predictive theory of Microcystis dominance in lakes of different trophic status, food web structure, and morphometry. This theory builds on the work of Huisman et al. (2004) which links turbulence and water clarity to forecast Microcystis blooms.  New work will also incorporate the effects of nutrient levels and filter feeders on Microcystis and phytoplankton competitive interactions.  Incorporating these interactions into the predictive theory is needed because the spread of zebra mussels has been observed to decrease the nutrient levels needed to support Microcystis blooms. The expanded theory will be tested by simultaneously measuring turbulence levels, nutrient concentrations, water clarity, and Microcystis abundance in multiple lakes in Michigan representing a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological conditions as well as lake sizes. My research focuses on the controls of phytoplankton productivity and community composition. Currently I am investigating the controls on abundance of Microcystis, a toxin producing cyanobacteria known to cause harmful algal blooms. Over the next two years, I will be developing a predictive theory of Microcystis dominance in lakes of different trophic status, food web structure, and morphometry. This theory builds on the work of Huisman et al. (2004) which links turbulence and water clarity to forecast Microcystis blooms.  New work will also incorporate the effects of nutrient levels and filter feeders on Microcystis and phytoplankton competitive interactions. Incorporating these interactions into the predictive theory is needed because the spread of zebra mussels has been observed to decrease the nutrient levels needed to support Microcystis blooms.  The expanded theory will be tested by simultaneously measuring turbulence levels, nutrient concentrations, water clarity, and Microcystis abundance in multiple lakes in Michigan representing a wide range of physical, chemical, and biological conditions as well as lake sizes.

Name: Antonio J. Golubski (golubski@msu.edu)
Department: Kellogg Biological Station
Lab: Gross / Mittelbach
Research Interests: Theoretical ecology and consumer-resource feedbacks
Research Location: Kellogg Biological Station
Degrees Held: B.S.1998, University of Miami; Ph.D. 2006, University of Illinois at Chicago
Statement: I'm interested in complex interactions among species and between species and their environments, and what the community-wide implications of these might be. My Ph.D. research focused on synergism and antagonism between multiple mutualistic partners, and their implications for coexistence of competitors or selection for the degree of mutualistic benefit a partner provides. That research involved both analytical and simulation-based models, as well as pot experiments. Here at KBS, I'm working with Kay Gross and Gary Mittelbach to explore the implications of size asymmetry and clonal integration in various models of plant competition for limiting resources. The findings of this theoretical work will complement data from field experiments they currently have underway (with collaborator Heather Reynolds) that are exploring the combined effects of plant clonality and variation in soil resources on native grasslands.

Name: Laurel Hartley (lhartley@kbs.msu.edu)
Department: Kellogg Biological Station
Lab:  Phil Robertson
Research Interests: Plant Community Ecology, Plant-Animal Interactions, Interface of Community and Ecosystem Ecology, Disease, Science Education
Research Location: Kellogg Biological Station
Degrees Held: Ph.D. 2006, University of Colorado; M.S. 1999, Southwestern University
Statement:  I am interested in: 1) the effects of herbivores on individual plants and plant communities, 2) effects of disturbance on soil processes, and 3) how introduced diseases of herbivores can alter their effects on ecosystem structure and function.  My role at KBS is as Coordinator of the GK-12 Program.  Another interest of mine is science education, both formal (K-16 classrooms) and informal (museum exhibitions, web-based interactives, etc.).   

Name: Claire McSwiney (mcswiney@kbs.msu.edu)
Department: Kellogg Biological Station
Lab: Sieg Snapp
Research Interests: Nitrogen biogeochemistry, Ecosystem ecology
Research Location: Living Field Laboratory, Kellogg Biological Station
Degrees Held: B.S. Biology 1982, Fairfield University, Fairfield, Connecticut; MES 1984, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, PhD 1999, Natural Resources University of New Hampshire

Name: Neville Millar (millarn@msu.edu)
Department: Kellogg Biological Station
Lab: Phil Robertson (EPRI)
Research Interests: Ecosystem Sustainability, Greenhouse Gases, Carbon and Nitrogen Biogeochemistry
Research Location: KBS
Degrees Held: B.Sc. 1994. University of St. Andrews, Scotland, UK; M.Sc. 1996. University of London, UK; Ph.D. 2002. Imperial College London, UK.
Statement: My research focuses on greenhouse gas emissions and carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry, with the aim of utilizing various land management strategies to mitigate these emissions, reduce nutrient loss and promote ecosystem sustainability. My past work has looked at agroforestry practices on smallholder farms in East Africa, and the effects of elevated carbon dioxide (FACE) on crop yield and microbial communities in European grasslands.

Name:  Jon O'Brien (obrien97@msu.edu)
Department:  Kellogg Biological Station
Lab:  Hamilton
Research Location:  KBS
Degrees Held: Ph.D., 2006, Kansas State University; M.S., 2002, Southern Illinois University

Name:  Bruce Robertson (roberba1@msu.edu)
Department:  Kellogg Biological Station
Lab:  Schemske
Research Location:  KBS

Name: Donald Schoolmaster (schoolm4@msu.edu)
Department: Kellogg Biological Station
Lab: Kay Gross
Research Interests: Theoretical ecology,  plant population and community ecology
Research Location: Kellogg Biological Station
Degrees Held: Ph.D. 2004, University of Michigan; M.S. 1998, University of Michigan
Statement:

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Name: Chris Steiner (steiner8@msu.edu)
Department: Plant Biology
Lab: Chris Klausmeier
Research Interests: Population and community ecology
Research Location: Kellogg Biological Station
Degrees Held: B.S.1992, University of California, Los Angeles; Ph. D. 2001, Michigan State University
Statement: My research interests revolve around understanding the mechanisms underlying patterns of species coexistence, species dominance, and biological diversity (at the population and community levels) in aquatic systems. Much of my past work focused on factors that can mediate the strength and outcome of biotic interactions, particularly the role of spatial and temporal heterogeneity in interspecific competition. I have also explored how variation in community structure can affect emergent community properties (such as community-level stability and production). My current research is centered on the evolution of predator-prey interactions, focusing on the interactive effects of predation, spatial variation in enrichment, and periodic environmental forcing on trait selection and the maintenance of clonal diversity in algal-prey populations.

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Name: Kohei Yoshiyama (kyoshi@msu.edu)
Department: Kellogg Biological Station
Lab: Chris Klausmeier
Research Interests: phytoplankton ecology/physiology; bacterial diversity; resource competition; cell size
Research Location: Kellogg Biological Station, Gull Lake
Degrees Held: B.S. 1997, Kyoto University; MS 1999, Kyoto University; PhD 2002, Kyoto University
Statement: I am a theoretical ecologist seeking emerging properties of population with structure, such as macro/micro scale fluid dynamics, resource gradients, and size/physiological state of organisms. Besides analyzing mathematical models, I have been working on field sampling in various lakes, estuaries, the Atlantic Ocean, and currently Gull Lake.