Research Interests
My research focuses on the nature of interactions among species and the consequences of these interactions for the dynamics of populations and the structure of communities. These questions are addressed with experimental and observational approaches over a broad range of temporal and spatial scales, using trout streams as a model system. We are using replicated, long-term whole-stream perturbations, brought about by the disease-induced collapse of populations of a dominant competitor, to address questions regarding: 1) the effects of biotic processes and disturbance on food web structure, 2) the resilience of communities to perturbations in food web structure, and 3) the importance of disease in the dynamics of host populations and the structure and dynamics of communities. I am also interested in the responses of stream systems to environmental perturbations and restoration activities at local to watershed scales.
Publications
Recent Journal Articles:
Steinmetz, J., S. L. Kohler, and D. A. Soluk. 2003. Birds are overlooked top predators in aquatic food webs. Ecology 84:1324-1328.
Cassidy, D., D. Hampton, and S. Kohler. 2002. Combined chemical (ozone) and biological treatment of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) adsorbed to sediments. Journal of Chemical Technology and Biotechnology 77:663-670.
Kohler, S. L., and W. K. Hoiland. 2001. Population regulation in an aquatic insect: the role of disease. Ecology 82:2294-2305.
Heilveil, J. S., S. L. Kohler, and L. F. Solter. 2001. Studies on the life cycle and transmission of Cougourdella sp., a microsporidian parasite of Glossosoma nigrior (Trichoptera: Glossosomatidae). Great Lakes Entomologist 34:9-15.
Kohler, S. L., D. Corti, M. C. Slamecka, and D. W. Schneider. 1999. Prairie floodplain ponds: mechanisms affecting invertebrate community structure. In D. Batzer, R. B. Rader, and S. A. Wissinger, editors. Invertebrates in freshwater wetlands of North America: ecology and management. John Wiley and Sons, New York, New York, USA.
Kohler, S. L. and M. J. Wiley. 1997. Pathogen outbreaks reveal large-scale effects of competition in stream communities. Ecology 78:2164-2176.
Wiley, M. J., S. L. Kohler, and P. W. Seelbach. 1997. Reconciling landscape and local views of aquatic communities: lessons from Michigan trout streams. Freshwater Biology 37:133-148.
Corti, D., S. L. Kohler, and R. E. Sparks. 1997. Effects of hydroperiod and predation on a Mississippi River floodplain invertebrate community. Oecologia 109:154-165. |
