Dr. Gina Wimp
Associate Professor - Georgetown University
As a community ecologist, I seek to understand the forces, both natural and anthropogenic, which shape ecological interactions within communities of organisms. I examine the mechanisms that regulate diversity in natural populations, as well as the human influences that may lead to the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem function. My research is highly interdisciplinary and integrates approaches from community and ecosystem ecology, molecular and population genetics, statistical modeling, and chemistry. I address basic questions of theoretical importance with application to conservation.
I work in two different types of wetland habitats; a cottonwood riparian forest and an intertidal salt marsh. Wetland habitats foster an enormous diversity of ecological interactions and represent critical wildlife habitat, but are heavily impacted by human interference. Indeed, it is estimated that more than half of the riparian forests and intertidal salt marshes in the United States have been lost due to habitat destruction. Wetland habitats that have not been directly lost to development often receive large amounts of nitrogen runoff from fertilizers, which can lead to eutrophication, as well as exposure to heavy metals, chemical pesticides and herbicides, and petroleum from oil spills. While wetlands represent areas of critical conservation importance, they also represent model systems for addressing basic questions in community and ecosystem ecology. High levels of genetic variation found in riparian cottonwoods make these systems ideal for exploring the relationship between community ecology and evolution; natural plant monocultures in salt marshes facilitate an exploration of the relationship between productivity and diversity that is not confounded by changes in plant species diversity; and fragmented habitats in salt marshes afford an opportunity to examine the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms associated with habitat destruction that lead to species loss. My research therefore centers on understanding the factors that promote diversity in wetland habitats, how human activities have altered food web interactions and ecosystem processes, and how we can conserve and restore these habitats.
I work in two different types of wetland habitats; a cottonwood riparian forest and an intertidal salt marsh. Wetland habitats foster an enormous diversity of ecological interactions and represent critical wildlife habitat, but are heavily impacted by human interference. Indeed, it is estimated that more than half of the riparian forests and intertidal salt marshes in the United States have been lost due to habitat destruction. Wetland habitats that have not been directly lost to development often receive large amounts of nitrogen runoff from fertilizers, which can lead to eutrophication, as well as exposure to heavy metals, chemical pesticides and herbicides, and petroleum from oil spills. While wetlands represent areas of critical conservation importance, they also represent model systems for addressing basic questions in community and ecosystem ecology. High levels of genetic variation found in riparian cottonwoods make these systems ideal for exploring the relationship between community ecology and evolution; natural plant monocultures in salt marshes facilitate an exploration of the relationship between productivity and diversity that is not confounded by changes in plant species diversity; and fragmented habitats in salt marshes afford an opportunity to examine the ecological and evolutionary mechanisms associated with habitat destruction that lead to species loss. My research therefore centers on understanding the factors that promote diversity in wetland habitats, how human activities have altered food web interactions and ecosystem processes, and how we can conserve and restore these habitats.
