Thomas
Detmer

​

I explore basic and applied concepts that improve understanding and conservation of freshwater ecosystems, fish, and fisheries. I do this while helping to train the next generation of aquatically oriented environmentalists and improving public understanding of fisheries and aquatic ecosystem fragility.

 

Global dependence on healthy aquatic ecosystems is high and growing with increasing demand for adequate clean water and healthy fisheries. As a broadly trained aquatic and fisheries ecologist, my research investigates the multi-faceted challenges related to aquatic ecosystems and fisheries. My current research is focused on Adirondack lakes and also spans a variety of approaches that cover diverse ecosystems. My research interests are generally organized around four related pillars of inquiry: 

1) characterizing ways invasive species alter relationships between food web form (e.g., richness, density, biomass) and function (e.g., production, energy flow), 

2) understanding effects of climate on aquatic organisms and ecosystems, with particular focus on features that increase or decrease their resiliency to climate change, 

3) identifying landscape elements (watershed or aquatic) that alter the spatial arrangement of organisms and understand how those may facilitate changes in food webs, and

4) investigating how human and aquatic interactions are changing over time. 

This research is conducted across the entire spectrum of curiosity driven (basic) and use inspired (applied) research on fish and aquatic ecosystems, and I use a combination of natural experiments, laboratory and mesocosm experiments, and modeling to investigate patterns and controls of aquatic ecosystem structure and function.

 

Contact info:

Thomas Detmer, Ph.D.

Adirondack Fisheries Research Program

Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University

111 Fernow Hall, Ithaca, NY, 14853

 

Email: td389 (at) cornell.edu

​

Research Gate

Google Scholar