Kelton Clark, PhD  
Director of Estuarine Research Center



Research Interests

Marine and Estuarine Ecology:

I am a marine and estuarine ecologist with interest in experimental and statistical design used to test fundamental questions and advance theoretical foundations of populations and community ecology. Much of my present works concerns the interactions between predator and prey. Generalizations about predator prey relationships are seen as a key to increasing the predictive ability of ecology and ecosystem research. The response of prey to predation risk has consequences for both community and population structures. Shifts in habitat use can influence population abundance of community members through facilitation, resource depression, or preferential feeding on refuge inhabitants. The examination of these interactions will provide insight into one of the myriad of interactions that make predictive community ecology such a challenging field.

I also have interest in habitat value in the near-shore have applications in the management of estuarine systems. The natural shoreline habitats of estuaries have been replaced at a rapid rate. These habitats serve important ecological functions, such as refuge from predation, sources pf prey, nest sites, and nursery habitat. I am investigating the community level effects of habitat alteration and developing methods to quantify extent and impacts of shoreline alterations.

Selected Publications:

Clark, K.L, Ruiz, G, and Hines, A.H. (2003). Diel variation in predator abundance, predation risk and prey distribution in shallow-water estuarine habitats. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology. 587: 37-55.

Seitz, R., Marshall, L., Hines A., and Clark, K.L. (2003) Effects of hypoxia on the Baltic clam (Macoma baltica) and predation from the blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) in the Chesapeake Bay. Marine Ecology Progress Series. 257: 179-188.

*Chu L. and Clark K.L. (in prep). Studies of an anthropogenic habitat alteration in a temperate estuary: community, population and ecosystem impacts of riprap.

Clark, K.L. and *Sturdivant (in prep). The impacts of behavioral interactions on crab pot efficacy in the estuarine blue crab Callinectes sapidus.

* denotes undergraduate author

  Back to Personnel Directory
ESTAURINE RESEARCH CENTER