Colden V. Baxter
Professor
Ecology of Freshwater Organisms
Ecosystems & Social-Ecological Systems
Office: Life Sciences 310
Research
Lab: Life Sciences 310
208-282-2139
Research conducted by Dr. Baxter and his group of students and collaborators focuses on rivers and streams, but more generally on the ecological linkages between water and land. The group’s studies are aimed at improving understanding of the basic nature of reciprocal connections between streams, floodplains, and riparian forests, the consequences of their disruption by human activities, but also contributing to better-informed conservation and stewardship. They also investigate watersheds as social-ecological systems, asking, for instance, how human perceptions and behaviors influence, but are also influenced by, rivers.
Teaching
BIOL 2209/2209L - General Ecology
BIOL 4462/5562 - Freshwater Ecology
BIOL 6604 - Advanced Ecology of Streams and Rivers
BIOL 5599 - History & Philosophy of Biology
BIOL 1192 - Introduction to Ecology
BIOL 489/589 - Field Ecology
Biol 4491 - Analysis of Complex Systems
Biol 6651 - Advanced Ecology of Communities & Food Webs
Biol 6690 - Careers in Life Sciences
Biographical Sketch
He leads the ISU Stream Ecology Center, directs the Center for Ecological Research and Education (CERE), serves on ISU's Faculty Senate, and recently served as president of the Society for Freshwater Science. He grew up ranching, principally in northwest Montana, and received training in biology and geology (BA, Univ. Oregon), ecology (MSc, Univ. Montana), fisheries science and philosophy of science (Ph.D., Oregon State Univ.), and food web studies (postdoctoral fellowship, Colorado State Univ. & Hokkaido Univ., Japan).
Education
2002, Ph.D. Fisheries Science, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR
1997, M.S. Organismal Biology and Ecology, University of Montana, Missoula, MT
1993, B.A. Biology and Geology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR
2002-2004, Postdoctoral fellow, Stream-forest food webs, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Selected Publications
Marcarelli, A.M., C.V. Baxter, J. Benjamin, Y. Miyake, M. Murakami, K. Fausch, and S. Nakano. 2020. Magnitude and direction of stream-forest community interactions change with time scale. Ecology 101(8): doi:10.1002/ecy.3064.
Walters, D.M., W.F. Cross, T.A. Kennedy, C.V. Baxter, R.O. Hall, Jr., and E.J. Rosi. 2020. Food web controls on mercury fluxes and fate in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon. Science Advances 6(20): eaaz4880.
Collins, S.F., C.V. Baxter, A.M. Marcarelli, M.S. Wipfli, S. Florin, L. Felicetti, and G. Servheen. 2019. Reverberating effects of resource subsidies in stream-riparian food webs. Oecologia 192:179-189.
Quintas-Soriano, C., J. Brandt, K. Running, C. V. Baxter, D. M. Gibson, J. Narducci, and A. J. Castro. 2018. Social-ecological systems influence ecosystem service perception: a Programme on Ecosystem Change and Society (PECS) analysis. Ecology and Society 23(3):3.
Bellmore, J. R., C.V. Baxter, and P.J. Connolly. 2015. Spatial complexity reduces interaction strengths in the meta-food web of a river floodplain mosaic. Ecology 96:274–283.
Cross, W. F., C. V. Baxter, E. J. Rosi-Marshall, R. O. Hall, Jr., T. A. Kennedy, K. C. Donner, S.E.Z. Seegert, H. A. W. Kelly, M.D. Yard, and K.E. Behn. 2013. Foodweb dynamics in a large river discontinuum. Ecological Monographs 83:311–337.