Weston Nowlin

Courses

General Ecology (BIO 4416)
Wetlands Ecology (BIO 7422)
Community and Ecosystem Ecology (BIO 7360R)

Research Interests

I am an ecosystem and community ecologist, specializing in aquatic ecosystems.  Research in my lab focuses on a variety of topics, but is largely centered on the role of organisms and communities in affecting ecosystem-level processes like nutrient cycling and organic matter flows.  In addition, I am interested in how biotic and abiotic factors affect the abundance, distribution, and diversity of organisms in ecosystems.  In order to address these research areas, we utilize a variety of methods and research approaches, including nutrient biogeochemistry, whole ecosystem metabolism and material flux studies, and the use of stable isotopes. Research in my lab takes place in a variety of ecosystem types and at a diversity of scales.  We conduct research in wetlands, streams, rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. We also conduct research in small laboratory-based studies, field-based experimental systems, and at the whole-ecosystem scale.

Selected Publications

Diaz, PH, JN Fries, TH Bonner, MA Alexander, and WH Nowlin. 2015. Mesohabitat associations of the threatened San Marcos salamander (Eurycea nana) across its geographic range. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems. 25:307-321.

Datri, CW, CL Pray, Y Zhang, and WH Nowlin. 2015. Nutrient enrichment scarcely affects ecosystem impacts of a non-native herbivore in a spring-fed river. Freshwater Biology. 60:551-562. (In Special Issue: Synthesizing ecosystem-level effects of consumer-driven nutrient dynamics in fresh waters).

Hutchins, BT, BF Schwartz, and WH Nowlin. 2014. Morphological and trophic specialization in a subterranean amphipod assemblage. Freshwater Biology. 59:2447-2461.

Becker, JC, KJ Rodibaugh, BJ Labay, TH Bonner, Y Zhang, and WH Nowlin. 2014. Physiographic gradients determine nutrient concentrations more than land use in a Gulf Slope (USA) system. Freshwater Science. 33:731-744.

Brown, DJ, WH Nowlin, E Ozel, I Mali, D Episcopo, MC Jones, MR Forstner. 2013. Comparison of short term low, moderate, and high severity fire impacts to aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem components of a southern USA mixed pine/hardwood forest. Forest Ecology and Management. 312:179-192.

Capps, KA, CL Atkinson, A Rugetski, C Baxter, KS Boersma, CC Carey, PB McIntyre, JW Moore, WH Nowlin, and CC Vaughn. 2012. Organized oral session: Impacts of species addition and species loss on ecosystem function in freshwater systems. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 93:402-408.

Jones, TA, MM Chumchal, RW Drenner, GN Timmins§, and WH Nowlin. 2012. Bottom-up nutrient and top-down fish impacts on contaminant flux from aquatic ecosystems. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 32:1-7.

Scott, SE, CL Pray, WH Nowlin, and Y Zhang. 2012. Effects of native and introduced consumers on stream ecosystem function. Aquatic Sciences 74:793-808.

Henderson, BL, MM Chumchal, RW Drenner, PH Diaz, and WH Nowlin. 2012. Mercury contamination of macroinvertebrates from grassland ponds with and without fish. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. 31:870-876.

Please see faculty member’s CV or website for a complete list of publications and additional information.