| Dr. Robert S. Stelzer | Department of Biology & Microbiology |
| Aquatic Ecologist | University of Wisconsin Oshkosh |
| M.S. 1992, Michigan State University | Oshkosh, WI 54901, USA |
| Ph.D. 2000, University of Notre Dame | (920)-424-0845 phone |
| Postdoctoral 2000-2001, Institute of Ecosystem Studies | (920)-424-1101 fax |
| E-mail: stelzer@uwosh.edu |
Dr. Stelzer's research is focused on understanding the reciprocal controls between nutrients and food webs in aquatic ecosystems. He uses experiments, comparative studies, and simulation modeling to address research questions at the interface of biogeochemistry and aquatic ecology such as:
- How are nitrogen, phosphorus, and dissolved silica processed in streams?
- What are the carbon sources for lake sturgeon in lakes?
- What is the role of ecological stoichiometry in structuring algal-snail interactions?
See Selected Publications for more details. Dr. Stelzer teaches Field Ecology, Ecosystem Ecology, and a large introductory environmental science course in the Department of Biology and Microbiology at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Most of these classes have benefited directly from our newly renovated Aquatic Research Laboratory on the Fox River. With grants from the National Science Foundation and the UW Oshkosh Lab Modernization Program Drs. Mike Lizotte, Bob Pillsbury and Stelzer have recently purchased a suite of analytical equipment for measuring various chemical, physical and biological parameters in aquatic ecosystems.
Current Research:
Nutrient flux and cycling
In collaboration with Dr. Sue Eggert (United States Forest Service), Dr. Maureen Muldoon (UW Oshkosh, Department of Geology) and Dr. Mamadou Coulibaly (UW Oshkosh, Department of Geography) my students and I are quantifying nitrate retention in streams in the Central Sands Plains of Wisconsin by mass balance. We determine concentration and fluxes of surface water and ground water inputs using a network of surface water and ground water sampling locations. Our results suggest that nitrate retention is substantial in these high nutrient, groundwater-dominated ecosystems. This research is supported by grants from the United States Forest Service, the National Science Foundation, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the UW Oshkosh Faculty Development Program and Trout Unlimited, particularly the Central Wisconsin Chapter.
Carbon Sources for Lake Sturgeon in Lake Winnebago
In collaboration with Mr. Ronald Bruch (Wisconsin DNR), Dr. Gene Drecktrah and Mr. Mike Shupryt, I am investigating carbon sources for lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Lake Winnebago. Lake Winnebago is the largest lake by area in Wisconsin and contains the largest self-sustaining lake sturgeon population in North America. We sample various components of the Lake Winnebago food web, including lake sturgeon during the annual recreational spear harvest. This research is funded by the Wisconsin DNR. A manuscript describing the result of this work has been accepted for publication in the Transactions of the American Fisheries Society.
Opportunities for Student Research:
There are many different ways that undergraduates and graduate students could become involved in research projects in Dr. Stelzer's lab. If you think you might be interested in doing research in the Stelzer Lab feel free to stop by his office (Halsey 150) or drop him an email message. There are many ways to become involved in existing resesarch projects and to initiate new projects. Students work in the lab in a variety of capacities including: as research assistants, while pursuing independepent study (Bio 446), as participants on student-faculty collaborative grants, as REU (Research Experience for Undergraduate) students, and as volunteers. Current students in the Stelzer Lab include:
Mike Shupryt. Mike is near the completion of his M.S in Biology. His thesis is addressing the contribution of plant beds to invertebrate communities at the reach scale in the West Branch of the White River, in the Central Sand Plains of Wisconsin. Mike is currently working for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources where he conducting lake surveys throughout the state of Wisconsin. Mike has been supported by various grants and scholarships while at UW Oshkosh, including the Bill Beck Memorial Scholarship from the Central Wisconsin chapter of Trout Unlimited.
Tim Anderson. Tim has recently entered the Masters Program in Biology. His thesis project entails estimating secondary production of the chironomid community in Lake Winnebago. Larval chironomids, especially Chironomus spp. are an important component of the diet of fishes in Lake Winnebago, including lake sturgeon. Tim is also identifying aquatic invertebrates from Emmons and Radely Creeks to genus as part of a collaborative project on invertebrate secondary production with Drs. Sue Eggert and Bob Stelzer.
Damion Drover. Damion is in his senior year of his B.S. Program in Biology, with an emphasis in Ecology and Organismal Biology. His current research project is addressing the influence of porewater nutrients on episammic algae in Radley Creek. Damion recently presented the results of this project at the Wisconsin Section of the American Water Resources Association Meeting. Damion will be initiating a second project this summer as part of the Millersville University REU Program: Watersheds, from River to Estuary. Damion plans to investigate one or more aspects of nitrogen biogechemistry in the hyporheic zones of sand plains streams (in Wisconsin) for his REU research project.
Jake Jungers. Jake is a senior in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology and Organismal Biology. Jake currently assists with surface water and ground water sampling on the USFS project based in Emmons Creek. He will be working at the Cedar Creek Long Term Ecological Research Site this summer (near Minneapolis, Minnesota) as a Research Assistant.
Brandon Joachim. Brandon is a junior in Biology with an emphasis in Ecology and Organismal Biology. He will start work in the lab this summer as a Research Assistant on a project that will assess the effects of elevated nitrate concentration on sediment-dwelling invertebrates. Brandon spent several weeks in Panama last winter where he participated in a research internship under the supervision of Dr. Greg Adler.
Classes Taught by Dr. Stelzer:
Ecosystem Ecology (Bio 386/586)- Spring 2008 Ecosystem Ecology Syllabus
Field Ecology (Bio 325/525)- Fall 2007 Field Ecology Syllabus
Ecosphere in Crisis (Bio 104)- Spring 2008 Ecosphere in Crisis Lecture Syllabus
Biology Internship (Bio 300)- all semesters
Environmental Science Links:
North American Benthological Society
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
American Water Resources Association: Wisconsin Section
Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources