University of Michigan
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

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Ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry seeks to understand how the physiological activities of organisms interact with the physical environment to control the flow of energy and cycling of nutrients in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

  • Joel D. Blum:
    • Joel Blum's research interests are in geochemical controls on ecosystems, and trace element and isotope geochemistry.
  • Vincent Denef:
    • Vincent Denef uses metagenomic and metaproteomic approaches to gather an improved understanding of microbial population dynamics and community functioning within ecosystem context. He is particularly interested in the connection between genomic variation and altered ecological behavior, and how short- and long-term environmental change can drive both. While he has been studying these concepts in systems ranging from abandoned mines to the human gastrointestinal tract, he is currently focusing on freshwater systems such as the Laurentian Great Lakes.
  • Mark Hunter:
    • Mark Hunter's research interests include plant-animal interactions, ecosystem ecology, biodiversity, and population dynamics. His research links population processes with ecosystem processes in terrestrial environments and explores the mitigation of global environmental change.
  • George Kling:
    • George Kling's research interests are in ecosystem ecology and aquatic biogeochemistry.
  • John Lehman:
    • John Lehman's research interests are in limnology, aquatic science, and nutrient and trophic dynamics.
  • Knute Nadelhoffer:
    • Knute Nadelhoffer's research interests are in ecosystem ecology, terrestrial biogeochemistry and global change.
  • Donald Zak:
    • Donald Zak's work draws on ecology, microbiology, and biochemistry and is focused at several scales of understanding, ranging from the molecular to the ecosystem scale. Current research centers on understanding the link between plant and microbial activity within terrestrial ecosystems, and the influence climate change may have on these dynamics. Teaching includes courses in soil ecology and ecosystem ecology.

Italics = secondary appointment in EEB, can serve as graduate co-chair only