Research interests:

My current research focuses on how the interaction between multiple consumers (top-down) and physical stress (bottom-up) affects primary productivity and community structure in marine communities, particularly salt marshes.

I am currently working to understand the impact of the purple marsh crab, Sesarma reticulatum, in southeastern salt marshes. Preliminary data indicates that these crabs are occurring in high densities both with and without snails, and can exacerbate die-off in marshes that are already under strong top-down control from snails. Through large-scale field experiments we will determine the interactive effects of: snail grazing, crab grazing, and physical stress (raised salinities) induced by climate change (an increase in drought frequency and intensity).

I hope to extend this research to understand how runaway consumption alters community structure, affects potential shifts in dominant primary producer species, and then how these shifts alter ecosystem services and function.

 

 

 

 

 

Schuyler van Montfrans

Contact Information:

409 Carr Hall

Univ. of Florida

Gainesville, FL 32611

Email: svanmontfrans@ufl.edu