Dr. Ann Showalter

I am generally interested in ecological research questions that integrate across scales and disciplines. This has led me to explore community ecology through the framework of ecological stoichiometry and, more recently, aerobic metabolism. Ecological stoichiometry describes the balance of energy and nutrients between organisms and their environment. I principally investigate these topics in freshwater aquatic communities, particularly communities that include odonates (dragonflies and damselflies). Odonates are generalist predators that interact with many species in their environment. In addition, the complex life history of these insects allows them to connect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.