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Research
The ecology of food web diversity: My main research theme is the ecology and evolution of food-web diversity.
I take an interdisciplinary approach to determine how the assembly and maintenance of food web structure affects important ecosystem
processes (e.g. productivity, biogeochemical cycling). Understanding the causes and consequences of food web change in relation to biogeochemical cycles will help
us predict the effects of ongoing climate change. My aim as a researcher is to become a system's ecologist with an expertise in multiple levels of
ecological organization, from evolutionary interactions among individuals to global patterns of food web structure.
Spatial and temporal patterns of food web structure: A primary focus of my research is using biogeochemical tracers
(stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen) to understand the consequences of structural variation in food webs. To date most of my research involves lake food
webs, but I am currently comparing lake food webs with other ecosystems webs (marine, terrestrial, etc.).
Matthews, B, and A Mazumder. 2003. Compositional and inter-lake variability of zooplankton affect baseline stable
isotope signatures. Limnology and Oceanography 48: 1977-1987
(pdf).
Matthews, B, and A Mazumder. 2005. Consequences of large temporal variability of zooplankton d15N for estimates of fish
trophic position and variation. Limnology and Oceanography 50: 1404-1414
(pdf).
Matthews, B, and A Mazumder. 2007. Distinguishing trophic variation from seasonal and size-based isotopic (d15N)
variation of zooplankton. CJFAS 64: 74-83
(pdf).
Resource polymorphisms and individual specialization within food webs: Within a population individuals can differ in their resource use
due to their sex, age, morph. For example, large Leptodora kindtii (an aquatic invertebrate predator) vertically migrate to avoid fish predation, but small L. kindtii
do not migrate because they are less vulnerable to fish predation. This has important consequences for invertebrate predation rates and accumulation of contaminants (e.g. Hg) in
lake food webs. More generally, individual consumers within these groups (sex, age, and morph) also show differentiation in their resource use (termed individual specialization).
A consumer's isotopic niche can provide insights about where a consumers forages and its dietary preferences. In collaboration with Dan Bolnick and Chris Harrod, I am investigating
individual specialization and trophic variation in sticklebacks and whitefish.
Matthews, B, and A Mazumder. 2004. A critical evaluation of intrapopulation variation of d13C and isotopic evidence of
specialization. Oecologia 140: 361-371
(pdf).
Matthews, B, et al. 2007. Size-based predation and vertical migration of an invertebrate predator (Leptodora kindtii).
Unpublished manuscript .
Bolnick, D, E Caldera, B Matthews. 2007. Migration load in a pair of ecologically divergent lacustrine stickleback populations.
Submitted .
Connections between food webs: Lake food webs are intimately connected with terrestrial foodwebs. Studies have shown reciprocal exchanges of detritus,
prey, and predators between these ecosystems. I am interested in how the structure of aquatic and terrestrial food webs affects the exchanges of energy between them. For example, habitat selection by
plankton communities in lakes affects their ability to exploit carbon coming in from terrestrial sources. This is an example of how the food web structure in one ecosystem interacts with carbon subsidies
from another ecosystem. My work on lipids and stoichiometry in zooplankton addresses a related issue. How does variation in the physiology of consumers in a lake community affect the ability of the
community to exploit terrestrial carbon subsidies?
Matthews, B and A Mazumder. 2005. Temporal variation in body composition helps explain seasonal patterns of zooplankton d13C. Freshwater Biology 50: 502-515
(pdf).
Perga, M, M Kainz, B Matthews, A Mazumder. 2006. Carbon pathways to zooplankton: insights from paired use of stable isotope analysis and fatty acid
biomarkers. Freshwater Biology 51: 2041-2051
(pdf).
Matthews, B and A Mazumder. 2006. Habitat specialization and the exploitation of allochthonous carbon by zooplankton Ecology 87: 2800-2812
(pdf).
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