People
Dr. Jon Benstead
I am a freshwater ecologist with broad research interests and experience. Increasingly, my research is focusing on stoichiometric relationships in ecology, particularly the role of coupled cycles of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in food webs and ecosystem-level processes. To examine stoichiometric linkages, I combine classic bioenergetic methods for quantifying energy acquisition and flow with an explicit stoichiometric perspective on nitrogen and phosphorus availability and demand. My students, collaborators and I are using this approach to examine ecological processes at a variety of scales, from the consequences of stoichiometric imbalances for organismal growth to the effects of relative C, N and P availability on energy flow through food webs and whole ecosystems. Much of my research at UA is in collaboration with Dr. Alex Huryn. I am also increasingly working with Dr. Ryan Sponseller, who joined the UA faculty in 2008. Collaborators at other institutions include Dr. Wyatt Cross at Montana State University and Dr. Amy Rosemond at the University of Georgia. I teach a number of undergraduate and graduate courses at UA. Serving on the editorial board of the journal Freshwater Biology also keeps me busy. For more information, see my CV.
Mike Venarsky
James joined the lab in 2007 after completing his Masters degree at Murray State University. His interests are in energy flow and nutrient cycling in freshwater ecosystems. His masters research examined patterns in secondary production of benthic invertebrates in a large southern U.S. impoundment. For his Ph.D. research, James is studying seasonal patterns in food web structure, secondary production, and nutrient cycling in a thermally stable Arctic spring stream on the North Slope of Alaska. For more information on current Arctic stream research in the lab, click here.
Mike joined the lab in 2006 after completing his Masters degree at Southern Illinois University. His interests revolve around the ecology and conservation of cave stream ecosystems. His Masters research examined the population biology and genetics of endangered cave amphipods. For his Ph.D. research, Mike is using a combination of population-level studies, whole-stream manipulations, and bioenergetic modeling to examine carbon limitation of cave stream food webs and ecosystems. For more information on current cave stream research in the lab, click here.
James Ramsey
Michael joined the lab in 2007 after completing his undergraduate degree at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is primarily interested in the stoichiometric control of stream food web interactions and consumer production. Michael’s Masters research is examining the effects of phosphorus enrichment on invertebrate growth and body elemental content. He is also examining the effects of fasting and stress on excretion rate in a diverse group of freshwater taxa. You can go to Michael's own website here. For more information about current research on ecological stoichiometry in the lab, click here.
Michael Kendrick
Scott came to the University of Alabama in 2008 after completing his undergraduate degree at Millersville University. He is being co-advised by Dr. Ryan Sponseller and myself. Scott’s interests include benthic invertebrate ecology. His Masters research focuses on temporal and spatial variability in macroinvertebrate community structure in the Sipsey River floodplain ecosystem. For more information about research on the Sipsey River, click here.
Scott Starr
Brock joined the lab in 2008 after completing his undergraduate degree at Muskingum College. His Masters research is focusing on bottom-up limitation of the Tennessee cave salamander, Gyrinophilus palleucus, a top predator in cave stream ecosystems. For more information on current cave stream research in the lab, click here.
Brock Huntsman
