Zoology

My research focuses on the role of consumer groups, particularly invertebrates, in ecosystem function. Most of my efforts are focused on streams and wetlands, but I am also interested in the role of invertebrates in terrestrial systems. I am particularly interested in the effects of disturbance on aquatic invertebrate communities and ecosystem function, as well as the role of invertebrates in recovery of ecosystem processes following disturbance. Current and recent projects include investigating the influence of hydrologic fluctuations on aquatic communities of central Platte River wetlands, quantifying the ecosystem-level consequences of stream-dwelling amphibian extirpations in the Central American highlands, and estimating secondary production and energy flow along a tallgrass prairie stream continuum. Applied aspects of my research include biological assessment of river and wetland management and restoration techniques.

For more information on my research program, please see my lab webpage.

Recent books and book chapters

Dodds, W. K. and M. R. Whiles. 2010. Freshwater Ecology: Concepts and Environmental Applications. Academic Press.

Gido, K. B., K. N. Bertrand, J. N. Murdock, W. K. Dodds, and M. R. Whiles. 2010. Disturbance mediated effects of stream fishes on ecosystem processes. Pages 520-541 in Gido, K. and D. Jackskon (eds.) Community Ecology of Stream Fishes: Concepts, Approaches and Techniques. American Fisheries Society Symposium 73.

Whiles, M. R. and J. W. Grubaugh. 2009. Benthic invertebrate fauna: river and floodplain ecosystems. Pages 205-215 in Likens, G. E. (ed.), Encyclopedia of Inland Waters. Elsevier Ltd., London, UK.

Whiles, M. R. and R. Altig. 2009. Dietary assessments of larval amphibians. Pages 71-86 in Dodd, C. K, jr. (Ed.). Ecology and Conservation of Amphibians: A Handbook of Techniques. Oxford University Press

Recent journal articles

Benke, A. C., and M. R. Whiles. 2011. Life table vs secondary production analysis - which is more fundamental for animal ecology? Journal of the North American Benthological Society 30: 1024-1032

Whiting, D. P., M. R. Whiles, and M. L. Stone. 2011. Patterns of macroinvertebrate production, trophic structure, and energy flow along a tallgrass prairie stream continuum. Limnology and Oceanography 56:887-898.

Meyer, C. K, Peterson, S. D., and M. R. Whiles. 2011. Quantitative assessment of yield, precision, and cost-effectiveness of three wetland macroinvertebrate sampling techniques. Wetlands 31: 101-112.

Whiles, M. R., M. I. Gladyshev, S. D. Peterson, N. N. Sushchik, O. N. Makhutova, G. S. Kalachova, and K. J. Regester. 2010. Fatty acid analyses reveal high degrees of omnivory and dietary plasticity in pond-dwelling tadpoles. Freshwater Biology 55: 1533-1547.

Tank, J. L., E. Rosi-Marshall, T. V. Royer, M. R. Whiles, N. A. Griffiths, T. Frauendorf, and D. Treering. 2010. Occurrence of maize detritus and a transgenic insecticidal protein (Cry1Ab) within the stream network of an agricultural landscape. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science of the United State of America 107:17645-17650

Chambers, C., M. R. Whiles, E.J. Rosi-Marshall, J.L. Tank, T.V. Royer, N.A. Griffiths, M.A. Evans-White, and A. Stojak. 2010. Responses of stream macroinvertebrates to Bt maize leaf detritus. Ecological Applications 20: 1949-1960.

Murdock, J. N., K. B. Gido, W. K. Dodds, K. N. Bertrand, and M. R. Whiles. 2010. Consumers alter the recovery trajectory of stream ecosystem structure and function following drought. Ecology 91: 1048-1062.

Meyer C. K, M. R. Whiles, and S. G. Baer. 2010. Plant community recovery following restoration in temporally variable riparian wetlands. Restoration Ecology18: 52-64

Whiles, M. R., A. D. Huryn, J. D. Reeve, and B. W. Taylor. 2009. Influence of handling stress and fasting on estimates of ammonium excretion by tadpoles and fish: recommendations for designing excretion experiments: Limnology and Oceanography Methods 7: 1-7.

Colon-Gaud, C., M. R. Whiles, S. S. Kilham, K. R. Lips, C. M. Pringle, S. Connelly, and S. D. Peterson. 2009. Assessing ecological responses to catastrophic amphibian declines: Changes in macroinvertebrate production and food web structure in upland Panamanian streams. Limnology and Oceanography 54: 331-343.

Griffiths, N. A., J. L. Tank, T. V. Royer, E. J. Rosi-Marshall, M. R. Whiles, C. P Chambers, T. C. Frauendorf, and M. A. Evans-White. 2009. Rapid decompositio of maize detritus in agricultural headwater streams. Ecological Applications 19:133-142

Bertrand, K. N., K. B. Gido, W. K. Dodds, J. N. Murdock, and M. R. Whiles. 2009. Disturbance frequency and functional identity mediate ecosystem processes in prairie streams. Oikos 118: 917-933.

Connelly, S., C. M. Pringle, R. J. Bixby, R. Brenes, M. R. Whiles, K. R. Lips, S. Kilham, and A. D. Huryn. 2008. Changes in stream primary producer communities resulting from loss of tadpoles: can small-scale experiments predict the effects of large-scale catastrophic amphibian declines? Ecosystems 11: 1262-1276.

Walther, D. A. and M. R. Whiles. 2008. Macroinvertebrate responses to constructed riffles in a small temperate river. Environmental Management 41: 516-527.

Meyer, C. K., S. G. Baer, and M. R. Whiles. 2008. Ecosystem recovery across a chronosequence of restored prairie wetlands in the Platte River valley. Ecosystems 11: 193-208.

Rosi-Marshall, E. J., J. L. Tank, T.V. Royer, M.R. Whiles, M. Evans-White, C. Chambers, N.A. Griffiths, J. Pokelsek, and M.L. Stephen. 2007. Toxins in transgenic crop byproducts affect headwater streams. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 104: 16204-16208.

Heatherly, T. II, M. R. Whiles, D. J. Gibson, S. L. Collins, A. D. Huryn, J. K. Jackson, and M. A. Palmer. 2007. Stream insect distributional patterns and metapopulation models: effects of spatial scale and sampling intensities. Oecologia 151: 313-321

Garvey, J. E., M. R. Whiles, and D. Striecher. 2007. A hierarchical model for oxygen dynamics in streams. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 64: 1816-1827.

Altig, R. M. R. Whiles, and C. L. Taylor. 2007. What do tadpoles really eat? Assessing the trophic status of an understudied and imperiled consumer group in freshwater habitats. Freshwater Biology 52: 386-395.

Whiles, M. R., K. R. Lips, C. M. Pringle, S. S. Kilham, R. Brenes, S. Connelly, J. C. Colon Gaud, M. Hunte-Brown, A. D. Huryn, C. Montgomery, S. Peterson. 2006. The consequences of amphibian population declines to the structure and function of Neotropical stream ecosystems. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 4: 27-34.

Regester, K. J., K. R. Lips, and M. R. Whiles. 2006. Energy flow through early life history stages of ambystomatid salamanders in midwestern forest ponds. Oecologia 147: 303-314.

Whiles, M. R., and R. E. Charlton. 2006. The ecological significance of tallgrass prairie arthropods. Annual Review of Entomology 51: 387-412.