Overview
I am a freshwater ecologist studying how ponds and lakes function and respond to environmental change. My research program focuses on community and ecosystem ecology, and I am interested in how organisms and ecosystem processes interact. I ask questions about freshwater food webs, community composition, greenhouse gas production, and ecosystem metabolism. My research relies on field studies, small-scale and whole-ecosystem experiments, and collaborations to scale local observations to global patterns.
Research Focus
Our lab focuses on freshwater community and ecosystem processes. Current research questions include:
- What are the drivers of greenhouse gas production and emissions in ponds and lakes?
- How do nutrient and carbon loads interact to affect lake community and ecosystem dynamics?
- What is a pond? Are ponds just little lakes, or are they functionally distinct?
- How are aquatic communities and ecosystems altered by environmental change, such as land use and non-native species?
Publications
For a complete list, please see Google Scholar
- Holgerson, M.A., A. Duarte, M. Hayes, M. Adams, J. Tyson, K. Douville, and A. Strecker. 2019. Floodplains provide important amphibian habitat despite multiple ecological threats. Ecosphere: e02853.
- Homan, R.N., M.A. Holgerson, and L.M. Biga. 2018. A long-term demographic study of a spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) population in central Ohio. Herpetologica 74: 109-116.
- Holgerson, M.A., M.R. Lambert, L.K. Freidenburg, and D.K. Skelly. 2018. Suburbanization alters small pond ecosystems: Shifts in nitrogen and food web dynamics. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 75: 641-652.
- Holgerson, M.A., E. Farr, and P.A. Raymond. 2017. Gas transfer velocities in small forested ponds. Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences 122: 1011-1021.
- Holgerson, M.A., C.J. Zappa, and P.A. Raymond. 2016. Substantial overnight reaeration by convective cooling discovered in pond ecosystems. Geophysical Research Letters 43: 8044-8051.
- Holgerson, M.A., D.M. Post, and D.K. Skelly. 2016. Reconciling the role of terrestrial leaves in pond food webs: A whole-ecosystem experiment. Ecology 97: 1771-1782.
- Kolozsvary, M.B.= and M.A. Holgerson=. 2016. Creating temporary pools as wetland mitigation: How well do they function? Wetlands 36: 335-345.
- Holgerson, M.A. and P.A. Raymond. 2016. Large contribution to inland water CO2 and CH4 emissions from very small ponds. Nature Geoscience 9: 222-226.
- Holgerson, M.A. 2015. Drivers of carbon dioxide and methane supersaturation in small, temporary ponds. Biogeochemistry 124 (1): 305-318.
- Atwood, M.A. 2013. Effects of euthanasia method on stable-carbon and stable-nitrogen isotope analysis for an ectothermic vertebrate. Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry 27: 909-913.
- Atwood, M.A.†, J.W. Mora†, and A.W. Kaplan. 2010. Learning to lead: Evaluating leadership and organizational learning. Leadership and Organizational Development Journal 31 (7): 576-595.
- Homan, R.N., M.A. Atwood†, A.J. Dunkle†, and S.B. Karr†. 2010. Movement orientation by adult and juvenile wood frogs (Rana sylvatica) and American toads (Bufo americanus) over multiple years. Herpetological Conservation and Biology 5 (1): 64-72.
In the news
- Ponds release more greenhouse gas than they store
- Floating an energy idea: Scientists study solar panel-topped ponds
- Pond emission measurements improve climate predictions
- Study to focus on climate impact of NYS ponds, wetlands
BIOEE Courses - Fall 2024
- BIOEE 4570 : Limnology: Ecology of Lakes, Lectures
- BIOEE 4571 : Limnology: Ecology of Lakes, Laboratory
- BIOEE 4980 : Teaching Experience
- BIOEE 9990 : Ph.D. Dissertation Research