Community ecology, consumer-prey interactions, invasion biology    Research in the Terrestrial Ecology lab focuses on the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms that generate biological diversity and their consequences for ecosystem function.  Why are invasive species so dominant?  How do human impacts on food webs influence the stability and trajectory of natural communities?  To what extent does evolutionary history influence current ecological processes?  Current projects include large-scale field experiments examining the effects of vertebrate herbivores on plant communities, exotic plant invasions, and the evolution of plant defenses. Pictured below: Dr. Eric Lind, a new Postdoctoral Fellow in the Terrestrial Ecology lab.  Eric is researching tri-trophic interactions among plants, insects, and vertebrate browsers.

John D. Parker / Principal Investigator Smithsonian Environmental Research Center PO Box 28 Edgewater, Maryland 21037 Phone: 443-482-2221 Fax: 443-482-2295 Email:parkerj@si.edu Curriculum Vitae