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Assistant Professor of Plant Biology
Ph. D. University of
Minnesota, 2000
W. K.
Kellogg Biological Station
Michigan State University
Hickory Corners, MI 49060
Phone: (269) 671-4987
Fax: (269) 671-2104
Email: klausme1@msu.edu
[Lab Web Site]
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Research Interests
Our laboratory group seeks to uncover the general
principles that organize ecological communities and ecosystems. We
focus on phytoplankton and zooplankton, the microscopic plants and
animals at the base of lake and ocean food webs. Plankton
communities are an ideal focus for this work, because they show striking
patterns in space, time, and organization, and are easily manipulated in
the lab and field. From a practical point of view, freshwater
plankton are important determinants of water quality and marine
phytoplankton play major roles in global biogeochemical cycles and
perform about half the planet's primary productivity.
We use a combination of theoretical and empirical approaches.
Mathematical models provide a way to understand how species interactions
determine community structure and affect the fluxes of energy and
nutrients through the ecosystem. We study these models using the
mathematical tools of nonlinear dynamics and with numerical simulation.
Empirical approaches include the measurement of physiological parameters
in laboratory cultures, population and community experiments in the
laboratory, and the statistical analysis of lake survey datasets.
Recent and ongoing projects include: (1) developing and testing models
of the vertical distribution of phytoplankton; (2) understanding the
role of spatial heterogeneity on species competition and coexistence;
(3) determining the causes of seasonal succession in plankton
communities; (4) applying game theoretical approaches to models of
community assembly; (5) explaining different sources of variation in the
elemental stoichiometry of phytoplankton; and (6) exploring the dynamics
of nonlinear food web modules.
Although we currently focus on plankton ecology, our interests are more
diverse. Students in the group have worked on the evolution,
maintenance and consequences of mutualism and the role of size in
structuring ecological communities. Some of our past work includes
modeling the origin of spatial patterns in semiarid vegetation and
investigating the response of plant communities to habitat destruction.
Therefore, we welcome inquiries from potential students interested in
any area of theoretical or community ecology. |
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Selected Publications |
Klausmeier,
C. A., E. Litchman, T. Daufresne, and S. A. Levin. 2004.
Optimal nitrogen-to-phosphorus stoichiometry of phytoplankton. Nature
429: 171-174.
Klausmeier,
C. A., E. Litchman, and S. A. Levin. 2004. Phytoplankton growth
and stoichiometry under multiple nutrient limitation. Limnology and
Oceanography 49: 1463-1470.
Klausmeier,
C. A., and E. Litchman. 2001. Algal games: the vertical
distribution of phytoplankton in poorly-mixed water columns. Limnology
and Oceanography 46: 1998-2007.
Litchman, E.,
and C. A. Klausmeier. 2001. Competition of phytoplankton under
fluctuating light. American Naturalist 157: 170-187.
Klausmeier,
C. A. 1999. Regular and irregular patterns in semiarid vegetation.
Science 284: 1826-1828. |
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A Legacy of Conservation
A Commitment to Sustainability
©
2006 Michigan State University Board
of Trustees.
MSU is an affirmative-action,
equal-opportunity institution.