Michael E. Kaspari, PhD
Presidential Professor and George Lynn Cross Research Professor
My research centers on the behavioral, community, and macro-ecology of invertebrates and their function in ecosystems. I combine lab and field experiments with comparative biology and biogeography to understand how these organisms function, the origins of their diversity, how abiotic gradients shape their communities, and how these communities collectively perform work on their ecosystems. As Earth’s biogeochemistry and climate continue to change, I work to understand, predict, and advise on the future of its ecosystems.
Kaspari, M and EAR Welti. (due out in late 2024) Nutrient Dilution and the Future of Herbivore Populations. Trends in Ecology and Evolution
Kaspari M, Weiser MD, Marshall KE, Siler CD, De Beurs K (2022) Temperature–habitat interactions constrain seasonal activity in a continental array of pitfall traps. Ecology: e3855. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3855
Kaspari, M and EAR Welti (2022) Electrolytes on the prairie: how urine-like additions of Na and K shape the dynamics of a grassland food web. Ecology: e3856 https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.3856
Kaspari, M (2021) The invisible hand of the periodic table: micronutrients in ecology. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 52: 199-219. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-012021- 090118
Welti, EAR, KA Roeder, KM de Beurs, A Joern, M Kaspari. (2020) Nutrient dilution and climate cycles underlie declines in a dominant insect herbivore. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA 117-7271275. www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1920012117 Runner up for the NAS Corazelli Prize
