Web CV for John Timothy Wootton

Dept. of Ecology and Evolution                                                    (773) 702-2773; FAX 702-9740

The University of Chicago                                                             twootton@uchicago.edu

1101 East 57th Street

Chicago, IL  60637

 

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

2022-present: Chairman, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, The University of Chicago.

2005-present:  Professor, Department of Ecology & Evolution, Committee on Evolutionary Biology and The College, The University of Chicago.

2000-2005:  Associate Professor, Department of Ecology & Evolution, Committee on Evolutionary Biology and The College, The University of Chicago.

1993-2000:  Assistant Professor, Department of Ecology & Evolution, Committee on Evolutionary Biology and The College, The University of Chicago.

1994:  Consulting Biologist, U.S. Justice Department.  Population models for birds of prey.

1992-1993:  Associate Research Biologist, Marine Sciences Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara.

1993:  Post-doctoral Fellow, University of Washington.

1990-1992:  Post-doctoral Fellow, Miller Institute for Basic Research, University of California, Berkeley.

 

EDUCATION

1984:  B.S. with Honors, Cornell University, Biology (Ecology, Systematics and Evolution).

1990:  Ph.D., University of Washington, Zoology.

 

 

HONORS AND SELECTED PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

Fellow, Miller Foundation for Basic Research in the Sciences, University of California, Berkeley (1990-1992)

Young Investigator Prize, American Society of Naturalists (1992)

Mercer Award, Ecological Society of America (1994)

Elected Secretary, American Society of Naturalists (2001-2003).

Associate Editor, Ecology/Ecological Monographs, (2001-2003).

Editorial Board, Ecology Letters (2007-present).

Editorial Board, Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B (2007-2010).

Meeting Organizer:  American Society of Naturalists, Banff (7/2001-7/2002).

Assembly of Delegates, Organization for Tropical Studies (1995-present).

Chair, Young Investigator Prize Committee, American Society of Naturalists (1996-1997)

 

 

PUBLICATIONS

1986.  E.K. Bollinger, T.A. Gavin, C.J. Hibbard, and J.T. Wootton.  Two male Bobolinks feed young at the same nest.  Wilson Bulletin 98:154-156. PDF

1986.  J.T. Wootton.  Clutch-size differences in western and introduced eastern populations of House Finches:  patterns and hypotheses.  Wilson Bulletin 98:459-462. PDF

1986.  J.T. Wootton, E.K. Bollinger, and C.J. Hibbard.  Mating systems in homogeneous habitats:  the effects of female uncertainty, knowledge costs, and random settlement.  American Naturalist 128:499-512. PDF

1987a.  J.T. Wootton.  Interspecific competition between introduced House Finch populations and two associated passerine species.  Oecologia 71:325-331. PDF

1987b.  J.T. Wootton.  The effects of body mass, phylogeny, habitat and trophic level on mammalian age at first reproduction.  Evolution 41:732-749. PDF

1990.  R.T. Paine, J.T. Wootton, and P.D. Boersma.  Direct and indirect effects of Peregrine Falcon predation on seabird abundance.  Auk 107:1-9. PDF

1990.  J.T. Wootton and I-F. Sun.  Bract liquid as an herbivore defense mechanism for Heliconia wagneriana inflorescences.  Biotropica 22:155-159. PDF

1991.  J.T. Wootton.  Direct and indirect effects of nutrients on intertidal community structure:  variable consequences of seabird guano.  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 151:139-153. PDF

1991.  J.T. Wootton, B.E. Young, and D. W. Winkler.  Ecological versus evolutionary hypotheses:  demographic stasis and the Murray-Nolan clutch size equation.  Evolution 45:1947-1950. PDF

1992.  J.T. Wootton.  Indirect effects, prey susceptibility, and habitat selection:  impacts of birds on limpets and algae.  Ecology 73:981-991. PDF

1992.  J.T. Wootton and D.A. Bell.  A metapopulation model of the Peregrine Falcon in California:  viability and management strategies.  Ecological Applications 2:307-321. PDF

1992.  J.T. Wootton and E.K. Bollinger.  Bobolink polygyny in homogeneous habitats:  a test of the asynchronous settlement model.  American Naturalist 140:1050-1057. PDF

1992.  J.T. Wootton and M.P. Oemke.  Latitudinal differences in fish community trophic structure and the role of fish herbivory in a Costa Rican stream.  Environmental Biology of Fishes 35:311-319. PDF

1993a.  J.T. Wootton.  Indirect effects and habitat use in an intertidal community:  interaction chains and interaction modifications.  American Naturalist 141:71-89. PDF

1993b.  J.T. Wootton.  Size-dependent competition:  effects on the dynamics versus the endpoint of mussel bed succession.  Ecology  74:195-206. PDF

1993.  J.T. Wootton and M.E. Power.  Productivity, consumers and the structure of a river food chain.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Science  90:1384-1387. PDF

1994a.  J.T. Wootton.  Predicting direct and indirect effects:  an integrated approach using experiments and path analysis.  Ecology  75:151-165.  PDF

1994b.  J.T. Wootton.  Putting the pieces together:  testing the independence of interactions among organisms.  Ecology 75:1544-1551.  PDF

1994c.  J.T. Wootton.  The nature and consequences of indirect effects in ecological communities.  Annual Review of Ecology and Systematics 25:443-466. PDF

1995.  M.E. Power, G. Parker, W.E. Dietrich, A. Sun, and J.T. Wootton.  Hydraulic food chain models:  an approach to the study of food web dynamics in large rivers.  Bioscience 45:159-167. PDF

1995.  J.T. Wootton.  Effects of birds on sea urchins and algae:  a lower-intertidal trophic cascade.  Ecoscience 2:321-328. PDF

1996.  M. E. Power, M. S. Parker, and J. T. Wootton.  Disturbance and food chain length in rivers.  Pp. 286-297 in G. A. Polis and K. O. Winemiller, eds.  Food Webs:  Integration of Patterns and Dynamics.  Chapman and Hall, New York. PDF

1996.  J.T. Wootton.  Purple Finch.  The Birds of North America 208:1-20. PDF

1996a.  J.T. Wootton, M.S. Parker, and M.E. Power.  Effects of disturbance on river food webs.  Science 273:1558-1561. PDF

1996b.  J.T. Wootton, M.E. Power, R.T. Paine, and C.A. Pfister.  Effects of productivity, consumers, competitors and El Ni–o events on food chain patterns in a rocky intertidal community.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 93:13855-13858. PDF

1997.  J.T. Wootton.  Estimates and tests of per-capita interaction strength:  diet, abundance, and impact of intertidally foraging birds.  Ecological Monographs 67:45-64. PDF

1998.  M.S. Laska and J.T. Wootton.  Theoretical concepts and empirical approaches to measuring interaction strength.  Ecology 79:461-476.1998. PDF

1998.  J.T. Wootton.  Effects of disturbance on species diversity:  a multitrophic perspective.  American Naturalist 152:803-825. PDF

1998.  J. T. Wootton, and C. A. Pfister.  The motivation of and context for experiments in ecology.  Pp. 350-369 in W.J. Resetarits and J. Bernardo, eds.  Issues and Perspectives in Experimental Ecology.  Oxford University Press, New York. PDF.  Read a discussion of this paper here.

2001a.  J. T. Wootton.  Causes of species diversity differences:  a comparative analysis of Markov models. Ecology Letters 4:46-56. PDF

2001b.  J. T. Wootton.  Prediction in complex communities:  analysis of empirically-derived Markov models.  Ecology 82:580-598. PDF

2001c.  J. T. Wootton. Local interactions predict large-scale pattern in an empirically-derived cellular automata.  Nature 413:841-843. PDF

2002. M. S. Parker, M. E. Power, and J.T. Wootton.  Effects of substrate composition, stream-bed stability, and sediment supply on survival and trophic role of a dominant stream grazer.  Verhandlungen der Internationalen Vereinigung für Theoretische und Angevandte Limnologie 28:238:241. PDF

2002a.  J.T. Wootton.  Mechanisms of successional dynamics:  consumers and the rise and fall of species dominance.  Ecological Research 17:249-260. PDF

2002b.  J. T. Wootton.  Indirect effects in complex ecosystems:  recent progress and future challenges.  Journal of Sea Research 48:157-172. PDF

2003.  J. T. Wootton and A. L. Downing.  Understanding the effects of reduced biodiversity:  A comparison of two approaches.  Pp. 85-104 in P. M. Kareiva and S. A. Levin, eds., The Importance of Species.  Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ.

2004.  H. T. Kusumo, C. A. Pfister, and J. T. Wootton. Dominant (AFLP) and codominant (microsatellite) markers for the kelp Postelsia palmaeformis (Laminariales).  Molecular Ecology Notes 4:372-375. PDF

2004.  J. T. Wootton.  Markov chain models predict the consequences of experimental extinctions.  Ecology Letters 7:653-660. PDF

2004.  J. I. Tsao, J. T. Wootton, J. Bunikis, M. G. Luna, D. Fish, and A. G. Barbour.  An ecological approach to preventing human infection:  vaccinating wild mouse reservoirs intervenes in the Lyme disease cycle. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 52:18159-18164. PDF

2005. J. T. Wootton.  Field-parameterization and experimental test of the neutral theory of biodiversity. Nature 433:309-312. PDF

2005.  J. T. Wootton and M. Emmerson.  Measurement of interaction strength in nature. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics 36:419-444. PDF

2005.  A. L. Downing and J. T. Wootton. Trophic position, biotic context, and abiotic factors determine species contributions to ecosystem functioning. Pp. 295-307 In P. de Ruiter, J. Moore, and V. Wolters, editors. Food Webs – Structure, Stability and Ecosystem Functioning. Academic Press.

2006. H. T. Kusumo, C. A. Pfister and J. T. Wootton. Small-scale genetic structure in the sea palm Postelsia palmaeformis Ruprecht (Phaeophyceae). Marine Biology 139:731-742. PDF

2007.  J. T. Wootton.  Birds. Pp. 91-95 in M. Denny and S. Gaines, eds.  Encylopedia of Tidepools, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. PDF

2007. J. T. Wootton. Gulls Pp. 252-255 in M. Denny and S. Gaines, eds. Encylopedia of Tidepools, University of California Press, Berkeley, CA. PDF

2007 C. A. Pfister, J. T. Wootton and C. J. Neufeld. The relative roles of coastal and oceanic processes in determining physical and chemical characteristics of an intensively sampled nearshore system. Limnology and Oceanography 52:1767-1775. PDF

2008. D. Doak, J. Estes, B. Halpern, U. Jacob, D. R. Lindberg, J. Lovvorn, D. Monson, M. T. Tinker, T. Williams, J. T. Wootton, I. Carroll, M. Emmerson, F. Micheli, and M. Novak. Understanding and predicting ecological dynamics: are major surprises inevitable? Ecology 89:952-961. PDF

2008. M. Novak and J. T. Wootton. Estimating nonlinear interaction strengths: an observational method for species-rich food webs. Ecology 89:2083-2089. PDF

2008. Wootton, J. T., C. A. Pfister, J. D. Forester. Dynamical patterns and ecological impacts of changing ocean pH in a high-resolution multiyear dataset. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.105:18848-18853. 08WoottonetalPNAS, PDF of Supporting Information, Fig S1 Corrected

2009.  J. T. Wootton, M. Cusson, S. Navarrete, and P. S. Petraitis.  Disruption, succession and stochasticity.  Pp. 201-212 in M. Wahl, ed. Marine Hard Bottom Communities:  Patterns, Dynamics, Diversity and Change.  Springer, New York. PDF

2010.  L. C. Nelis, and J. T. Wootton.  Treatment-based Markov Chain Models clarify mechanisms of invasion in an invaded grassland community.  Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B. 277:539-547. PDF

2010.  J. T. Wootton. Experimental species extinction alters ecological dynamics in a natural ecosystem.  Ecology 91:42-48. PDF

2010.  M. Novak and J. T. Wootton. Using experimental indices to quantify the strength of species interactions. Oikos 119:1057-1063. PDF

2010.  R. T. Paine, J. T. Wootton, and C. A. Pfister.  A sense of place:  Tatoosh.  Pp. 229-250 in I. Billick and M. Price, eds.  The Ecology of Place.  University of Chicago Press. PDF

2011.  A. K. Barner, C. A. Pfister, and J. T. Wootton.  The mixed mating system of the sea palm kelp Postelsia palmaeformis:  few costs to selfing.  Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B 287:1347-1355.  PDF

2011.  M. Novak, J. T. Wootton, D. F. Doak, M. Emmerson, J. A. Estes, and M. T. Tinker.  Predicting community responses to perturbations in the face of imperfect knowledge and network complexity.  Ecology 92:836-846. PDF

2011.  S. J. McCoy, L. F. Robinson, C. A. Pfister, and J. T. Wootton  Exploring B/Ca as a pH proxy for bivalves:  relationships between Mytilus californianus B/Ca and environmental data from the northeast Pacific.  Biogeosciences 8:2567-2579, doi:10.5194/bg-8-2567-2011. PDF

2011.  C. A. Pfister, S. J. McCoy, J. T. Wootton, P. A. Martin, A. S. Colman, and D. Archer.  Rapid environmental change revealed by isotopic analysis of the California mussel in the northeast Pacific.  PLoS ONE 6(10):e25766.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0025766.  PDF

2012.   J.  T. Wootton.   The effects of timber harvest on river food webs: physical, chemical and biological responses.  PLoS ONE 7(9):e43561.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0043561. PDF

2012.   J. T. Wootton.  River food web response to large-scale riparian zone manipulations.  PLoS ONE 7(12):e51839.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0051839.  PDF

2012.    J. T. Wootton and C. A. Pfister.  Carbon system measurements and potential climatic drivers at a site of rapidly declining ocean pH.  PLoS ONE. 7(12): e53396. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0053396. PDF

2013.   J. T. Wootton.  An experimental test of multi-species Markov models: Are barnacles long-term facilitators of mussel bed recovery?  Bulletin of Marine Science. 89:337-346.  PDF

2013.   J. T. Wootton and J. D. Forester.  Complex population dynamics in mussels arising from density-linked stochasticity. PLoS ONE 8(9): e75700. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0075700.  PDF, Supplement

2013.   J. T. Wootton and C. A. Pfister.  Experimental separation of genetic and demographic factors on extinction risk in wild populations. Ecology 94:2117-2123.  PDF

2014.  S. L. Jackrel and J. T. Wootton.  Local adaptation of stream communities to intraspecific variation in a terrestrial ecosystem subsidy. Ecology 95:37-43.  PDF

2014.   J. Travis, F. C. Coleman, P. J. Auster, P. M. Cury, J. A. Estes, J. Orensanz, C. H. Peterson, M. E. Power, R. S. Steneck, and J. T. Wootton.  Integrating the invisible fabric of nature into fisheries management.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 111:581-584.  PDF

2014.   J. T. Wootton and D. A. Bell.  Assessing predictions of population viability analysis:  peregrine falcon populations in California.  Ecological Applications 24:1251-1257.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1890/13-1323.1 PDF

2015.  S. L. Jackrel and J. T. Wootton.  Cascading effects of induced terrestrial plant defences on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem function. Proceedings of the Royal Society , Series B. 282: 20142522.  http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.2522  PDF

2015.  E. L. Sander, J. T. Wootton, and S. Allesina.  What can interaction webs tell us about species roles? PLoS Computational Biology. 11(7): e1004330. doi:10.1371/journal.pcbi.1004330 PDF

2015.  J. T. Wootton.  Interaction strengths and mutualism. Pp. 143-144 in J. L. Bronstein, ed. Mutualism. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK. PDF

2015.  J. T. Wootton, and C. A. Pfister.  Processes affecting extinction risk in the laboratory and in nature.  Proceedings of the National Academy of Science 112(44):E5903.  doi: 10.1073/pnas.1516561112  PDF

2015.  S. L. Jackrel and J. T. Wootton.  Diversity of riparian plants among and within species shapes river communities. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0142362. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142362.  PDF

2016. J. T. Wootton. A 20-year data set of species replacement patterns in the intertidal zone of Tatoosh Island, Washington, USA. Ecology 97:810. doi: 10.1890/15-1396.1

2016. C. A. Pfister, R. T. Paine, and J. T. Wootton. The iconic keystone predator has a pathogen. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 14: 285-286. PDF

2016.  S. L. Jackrel, T. C. Morton, and J. T. Wootton. Intraspecific leaf chemistry drives locally accelerated ecosystem function in aquatic and terrestrial communities.  Ecology 97:2125-2135. doi: 10.1890/15-1763.1. PDF

2016. C. A. Pfister, K. Roy, J. T. Wootton, S. J. McCoy, R. T. Paine, T. H. Suchanek, and E. Sanford. Historical baselines and the future of shell calcification for a foundation species in a changing ocean. Proceedings of the Royal Society Series B.  doi: 10.1098/rspb.2016.0392. PDF

2016. M. Novak, J. D. Yeakel, A. E. Noble, D. F. Doak, M. Emmerson, J. A. Estes, U. Jacob, M. T. Tinker, and J. T. Wootton. Characterizing species interactions to understand press perturbations: what is the community matrix? Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution and Systematics. 47:409-432.  doi: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-032416-010215. PDF

2016.  C. C. Stepien, C. A. Pfister, and J. T. Wootton.  Functional traits for carbon access in macrophytes.  PLoS ONE 11(7):e0159062. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0159062. PDF

2017. E. L. Sander, J. T. Wootton and S. Allesina. Ecological network inference from long-term presence-absence data. Scientific Reports 7:7154. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-07009-x. PDF

2018. Heilpern, S. A. and J. T. Wootton.  Process catalyzers in Amazonian rivers: large woody debris modifies ecosystem processes across freshwater habitats.  Ecosphere 9:e2030 doi:10.1002/ecs2.2030.  Reprint

2018.  Voorhies, K. J., J. T. Wootton, and S. K. Henkel.  Longstanding signals of marine community structuring by winter storm wave-base.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 603:135-146.

2019.  Maynard, D. S., J. T. Wootton, C. A. Serván, and S. Allesina.  Reconciling empirical interactions with species coexistence.  Ecology Letters. 6:1028-1037. doi:10.1111/ele.13256 Reprint

2019.  Jackrel, S. L., J. A. Gilbert, and J. T. Wootton.  The origin, succession, and predicted metabolism of bacterial communities associated with leaf decomposition. mBio 10:e01703-19.  doi:10.1128/mBio.01703-19.  Reprint

2021.  Barnum, T. R., J. T. Wootton, R. J. Bixby, J. M. Drake, D. Murray-Stoker, C. Colón-Gaud, A. T. Rugenski, T. C. Frauendorf, S. Connelly, S. S. Kilham, M. R. Whiles, K. R. Lips, and C. M. Pringle. Mechanisms underlying lack of functional compensation by insect grazers after tadpole declines in a Neotropical stream.  Limnology and Oceanography. doi: 10.1002/lno.11904. Reprint

2021.  Park, J. S., and J T. Wootton. Slower environmental cycles maintain greater life-history variation within populations.  Ecology Letters.  doi:10.1111/ele.13867 Reprint

OTHER PUBLICATIONS

1991.  D. A. Bell, and J. T. Wootton.  Sustainability of California peregrine falcon populations:  inferences based on a model.  Pp. 66-67 in J.E. Pagel (ed.) Proceedings:  Symposium on Peregrine Falcons in the Pacific Northwest.  Rogue River National Forest, Medford, OR.

1993.  T. Wootton. Models and the real world. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 74:48-50.

1994.  T. Wootton. Biotic effects in experimental lake ecosystems. Ecology 75:2465-2466.

2001.  C. Elton.  Animal Ecology.  10^th ed.  M. A. Leibold and J. T. Wootton, eds.  University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

2001.  D. L. Cochran-Stafira, J. T. Wootton, and C. A. Andrews.  Multi-species interactions:  indirect effects.  Tested Studies for Laboratory Teaching 23:155-171. PDF

2008.  J. T. Wootton. Quantitative analysis of marine biological communities: field biology and environment. Quarterly Review of Biology 83:127. PDF

2010.  J.T. Wootton. The biology of rocky shores. Quarterly Review of Biology. 85:217.  PDF

2013.  J. T. Wootton. 2013. Observation and ecology. Restoration Ecology 31:340-342. PDF

2013.  H. I. Browman et al. Biological responses to ocean acidification.  Pp. 37056 in Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Program (AMAP).  AMPA Assessment 2013: Arctic Ocean Acidification.  AMAP, Oslo, Norway.

2016.  P. K. Dayton, M. N. Dethier, D. Duggins, P. Kareiva, M. Koehl, B. A. Menge, C. A. Pfister, J. L. Ruesink, K. Sebens, B. R. Silliman, and J. T. Wootton.  Resolution of Respect:  Robert Treat Paine III, 1933-2016.  Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America 97:359-363.  PDF

 

COURSES TAUGHT

BioSci 191-192:  Ecology, Evolution, and Mendelian Genetics

BioSci 20185:  Ecology and Evolution

BioSci 23289:  Marine Ecology

BioSci 20150:  A Serious Introduction to Biology for Majors

EcEv 426:  Community Ecology

EcEv 426:  Community and Ecosystem Ecology

EcEv 497:  Nutrients in Food Webs

EcEv 497:  Models of Lyme Disease

EcEv 425:  Concepts in Ecology