Research interests

My major research interests focus on the ecology of freshwater invertebrates, particularly insects, and their role in aquatic ecosystems. My students and I have worked in streams, Coastal Plain rivers, and floodplain wetlands, and my research program continues to emphasize these systems which are prevalent throughout Alabama and the southeast. Much of my work has emphasized the theory and practice of estimating invert ebrate production, but I also have related interests in population dynamics, drift dynamics, predator/prey relationships and trophic relationships in general (food webs). My research on Coastal Plain blackwater rivers has emphasized that much of the invertebrate diversity and production occurs on submerged wood (snags), rather than in the sandy sediments, and we have continued to pursue studies on wood-dwelling invertebrates. Invertebrate growth experiments and estimation of predator energetic needs have shown that primary consumers such as midges and mayflies must have extremely high biomass turnover rates in these warmwater systems. Anyone who works in Coastal Plain rivers soon appreciates the importance of floodplain habitats, which are inundated for up to several months per year, and we have pursued studies of invertebrate adaptations and production (both benthic and planktonic) in these highly fluctuating systems. In addition, we have conducted a synoptic study on higher gradient small streams in Northern Alabama addressing the influence of geology from 3 geographic provinces on the biological productivity. With the widespread degradation of rivers from dams, channelization and other types of exploitation, I am very interested in conservation and management of river ecosystems. Opportunities for graduate research in my laboratory continue to stress the dynamics, production, biodiversity, and interspecific interactions of freshwater invertebrates, and their ecological roles in stream, river and wetland ecosystems.

Selected publications

Benke, A. C., and C. E. Cushing (editors). 2005. Rivers of North America. Academic/Elsevier. Amsterdam/Boston, 1168 pages.

Benke, A. C., and C. E. Cushing. 2005. Background and approach. Pages 1-18 in A. C. Benke and C. E. Cushing (editors) Rivers of North America. Academic/Elsevier.

Smock, L. A., A. B. Wright, and A. C. Benke. 2005. Atlantic Coast rivers of the Southeastern United States. Pages 73-122 in A. C. Benke and C. E. Cushing (editors) Rivers of North America. Academic/Elsevier.

Hudson, P. F., D. A. Hendrickson, A. C. Benke, A. Varela-Romero, R. Rodiles-Hernandez, and W. L. Minckley. 2005. Rivers of Mexico. Pages 1031-1084 in A. C. Benke and C. E. Cushing (editors) Rivers of North America. Academic/Elsevier.

Allan, J. D., and A. C. Benke. 2005. Overview and prospects. Pages 1087-1103 in A. C. Benke and C. E. Cushing (editors) Rivers of North America. Academic/Elsevier.

Tronstad, L. M., B. P. Tronstad, and A. C. Benke. 2005. Invertebrate seedbanks: rehydration of soil from an unregulated floodplain in the southeastern U.S. Freshwater Biology 50:646-655.

Lemke, A. M., and A. C. Benke. 2004. Growth, reproduction, and production dynamics of a littoral microcrustacean, Eurycercus vernalis (Chydoridae), from a southeastern wetland, USA. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 23:806-823.

Benke, A. C., and J. B. Wallace. 2003. Influence of wood on invertebrate communities in streams and rivers. Pages 149-177 in S. Gregory and K. Staley (editors) The ecology and management of wood in world rivers. American Fisheries Society, Symposium 37, Bethesda, Maryland.

Lemke, A. M., and A. C. Benke. 2003. Growth and reproduction of three cladoceran species from a small wetland in the south-eastern U.S.A. Freshwater Biology 48:589-603.

Cross, W. F., and A. C. Benke. 2002. Intra- and interspecific competition among coexisting lotic snails. Oikos 96:251-264

Benke, A. C. 1993. Baldi Memorial Lecture: Concepts and patterns of invertebrate production in running waters. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 25: 15-38.