My research seeks to better understand feedbacks between organisms and their environments (both physical and resource) and the consequences of these feedbacks for ecosystem functions.
Research Themes
Photo by Michael MacDonald
Ecological consequences of organism engineering
To better understand feedbacks between ecology, geomorphology, and stoichiometry, I ask: How do characteristics of ecosystem engineers, geomorphology, and biological communities interact to determine the ecological consequences of organism-mediated environment alteration?
I use aquatic insect larvae as model ecosystem engineers to understand how organism-mediated changes to sediment stability, near-bed hydraulics and resource availability feedback to community composition and ecosystem dynamics in rivers. Specifically, I use net-spinning caddisfly (Hydropsychidae) as model ecosystem engineers. Net-spinning caddisflies build silk nets with retreats of organic/inorganic material within streambed to passively feed on detritus flowing through the water column. Caddisflies are globally distributed, diverse and occur at high densities over thousands per square meter. In a series of lab and field experiments in collaboration with geomorphologists, ecologists, microbiologists, and hydrologists, our work has demonstrated substantial effects of caddisflies on sediment stability, river channel hydraulics, and consequences for stream macroinvertebrate communities.
Spatio-temporal scaling of positive interactions
The modification of physical and resource environments by ecosystem engineers often confers positive biotic effects that facilitate performance of other organisms by creating novel habitats and/or ameliorating harsh conditions. To better understand how positive interactions scale over space and time my research asks: How do organism traits and the mechanism of positive interaction delineate the spatio-temporal extent of positive interactions?
I have developed a predictive framework to more rigorously describe positive biotic interactions and their consequences among organisms, across taxa, and over spatio-temporal scales. These predictions scale positive interactions based on mechanism of positive interaction and organism traits. Furthermore, these predictions are readily applied to field measurements, analytical techniques and to contemporary challenges in ecology, such as conservation and restoration. Collectively, this predictive framework offers an exciting opportunity to develop additional hypotheses with which positive interactions and their consequences to ecosystem function can be measured, tested, understood, and compared across ecosystems.
Relevant Publications:
Tumolo, B.B., Calle, L., Anderson, H. E., Briggs, M. A., Carlson, S., MacDonald, M. J., Reinert, J.H., and Albertson, L. K. (2020). Toward spatio-temporal delineation of positive interactions in ecology. Ecology and Evolution, 10(17), 9026-9036.
Albertson, L. K., M. J. MacDonald, B. B. Tumolo, M. A. Briggs, Z. Maguire, S. Quinn, J. A. Sanchez-Ruiz, J. Veneros and L. A. Burkle. (2020). Uncovering patterns of freshwater positive interactions using meta-analysis: Identifying the roles of common participants, invasive species, and environmental context. Ecology Letters, doi:10.1111/ele.13664.
Invasion and ecosystem ecology
Often some of the most dramatic effects of organisms on their resource and physical environments occur when animals are introduced outside of their native ranges.
I use invasive planktivorous fish as a model system to explore the effects of invasive species on ecosystem structure and function. Using long-term (25 yrs) data we detected ecosystem effects of invasive Silver Carp in Kentucky Lake. We found habitat and season specific reductions in phytoplankton biomass coinciding with the establishment of Silver Carp. Changes noticed in basal resources suggest that Silver carp may have important context dependent food web consequences for invaded systems by consuming high levels of basal resources. This work links species to ecosystems and illustrates that when certain species are introduced outside of their historical ranges that these species can have dramatic context dependent relationships with their recipient ecosystems.
Relevant Publications:
Tumolo, B. B., and Flinn, M.B. (2017). Top-down effects of an invasive omnivore: detection in long-term monitoring of large-river reservoir chlorophyll-a. Oecologia, 185(2), 293-303.
Tumolo, B. B., and Flinn, M.B. (2019). Diet of Invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) in a Mainstem Reservoir Ecosystem. Journal of Kentucky Academy of Science, 78(1), 3-11.
Tumolo, B.B., Richardson, B.M., Lebeda, D.D. Flinn, M.B. Phytoplankton survival in hindgut of invasive Silver Carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix).The American Midland Naturalist, Accepted.
