Aquatics Research by Dr. Gary Wellborn

In my research program, I explore the relationship between ecological processes and evolutionary dynamics.  In particular, I am interested how predation, competition, and other features of the environment shape species evolution and lineage diversification.  We study a group of freshwater crustacean species in the genus Hyalella.  These species are common in Oklahoma and throughout North and South America.  At Kessler Farm Field Laboratory, we have studied common small-sized species that lives in ponds (see photo).  Our studies of this population have included evaluating its competitive interactions with other species, its antipredator adaptations, and its mating behavior.