Colden Baxter

Dr. Baxter's research focuses on rivers and streams, but more generally on the ecological linkages between water and land. He and his students study the vectors of aquatic-terrestrial connectivity, their ecological roles, and the consequences of their disruption. These reciprocal linkages are critical to watershed ecosystems, and they couple land and water in their vulnerability to the agents of global environmental change. Many of Dr. Baxter's research projects focus on connections between streams, floodplains, and riparian forests, and the response of these linked systems to both natural and human-caused disturbances. His studies range across levels of biological organization, from organisms and populations to communities and ecosystems. Most of Dr. Baxter's work is also set in the context of addressing human affects on native organisms and ecosystems, and aims to contribute to better-informed conservation and stewardship.