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Betsy Wells |
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I am a first-year ecology student in the Graduate Group in Ecology, and am in the Marine AOE (Area of Emphasis). My main research interest is in invasive marine invertebrates, especially in the nature and consequences of their interactions with native invertebrate species. My interest in this field, and in marine ecology in general, began when I was a student with the Williams-Mystic program in the fall of 1998. This pushed me from genetics and physiology into marine ecology because it was a lot more fun to play with snails and crabs and clams than to watch yeast grow. After graduating from Williams College in 2000, I worked for several years at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center on invasive species both in the Chesapeake Bay and across the country. I have worked on fouling communities, mud crab populations in oyster reefs, clams in mudflats, and the demographic changes in invertebrate populations following introduction and release from parasitic pressure. I hope to continue working on both theoretical and applicable aspects of introduced systems during my graduate career, both through and beyond the Biological Invasions IGERT (Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship) here at UC Davis.
Working on the introduced isopod Sphaeroma quoyanum with Andy Chang (left) in Oregon, 1999