I work on various aspects of the ecology of invertebrates from freshwater wetlands. In particular, I am interested in the roles that invertebrates play in wetland food webs including predator-prey relationships and plant-invertebrate interaction. Because many wetland invertebrates are important components of bird and fish diets, I often interact with wildlife biologists. Much of my work takes place in habitats that are being managed for waterfowl and waterbirds. I have a long-standing interest in mosquito ecology, and work to devise ecologically sound strategies to manage these populations in marshes.

Students that work under my supervision will initially collaborate with me on one of my projects. They will then be given the opportunity to develop and test their own hypotheses about wetland invertebrates. Interdisciplinary work is encouraged, and projects that utilize the strong tradition of aquatic and wetland research by other faculty at University of Georgia are especially welcome.

Selected Publications

Wilbanks, K. A., Sutter, L. A., Amurao, J., & Batzer, D. (2023). Effects of drought on the physicochemical, nutrient, and carbon metrics of flows in the Savannah River, Georgia, USA. River Research and Applications: an international journal devoted to river research and management, 39, 2048-2061. doi:10.1002/rra.4198

Reindl, S., McLean, K. I., Kneitel, J. M., Bell, D. A., & Batzer, D. P. (2023). Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Getting the Same Result: Assessing Variance in Wetland Invertebrate Assemblages. Wetlands, 43(7). doi:10.1007/s13157-023-01734-y

Pires, M. M., Garcia, P. E., Maltchik, L., Stenert, C., Epele, L. B., McLean, K. I., . . . Batzer, D. P. (2023). Searching for the Achilles heel(s) for maintaining invertebrate biodiversity across complexes of depressional wetlands. Journal for Nature Conservation, 72, 126332. doi:10.1016/j.jnc.2023.126332

Pires, M. M., Vendramin, D., Medeiros, E. S. F., Stenert, C., Batzer, D. P., & Maltchik, L. (2023). Bet-hedgers commit to the hedge: Zooplankton in ephemeral semiarid wetlands of tropical Brazil that widely spread risk. ECOLOGY, 11 pages. doi:10.1002/ecy.4014

Murray-Stoker, K. M., McHugh, J. V., Benke, A. C., Parsons, K. A., Murray-Stoker, D., Rosemond, A. D., . . . Batzer, D. P. (2023). Long-term comparison of invertebrate communities in a blackwater river reveals taxon-specific biomass change. FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, 13 pages. doi:10.1111/fwb.14052

Riley, N. M., Murray-Stoker, K. M., & Batzer, D. P. (2022). A lack of evidence that interactions among aquatic invertebrates are controlling assemblage structure in long-hydroperiod freshwater wetlands. FUNDAMENTAL AND APPLIED LIMNOLOGY, 10 pages. doi:10.1127/fal/2022/1486

Murray-Stoker, K. M., McHugh, J., & Batzer, D. P. (2022). Temporal and spatial patterns for larval populations of Sisyridae (Neuroptera) in aquatic habitats of east central Georgia, USA. AQUATIC INSECTS, 43(3), 257-268. doi:10.1080/01650424.2022.2046778

Epele, L. B., Grech, M. G., Williams-Subiza, E. A., Stenert, C., McLean, K., Greig, H. S., . . . Batzer, D. P. (2022). Perils of life on the edge: Climatic threats to global diversity patterns of wetland macroinvertebrates. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, 820, 10 pages. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.153052

Jackson, C. R., Sytsma, C., Sutter, L. A., & Batzer, D. P. (2021). Redefining Waters of the US: a Case Study from the Edge of the Okefenokee Swamp. WETLANDS, 41(8), 10 pages. doi:10.1007/s13157-021-01512-8

Wissinger, S. A., Klemmer, A. J., Braccia, A., Bush, B. M., & Batzer, D. P. (2021). Relationships between macroinvertebrates and detritus in freshwater wetlands. FRESHWATER SCIENCE, 40(4), 681-698. doi:10.1086/717487

Cardona-Rivera, G. A., Clark, B., McHugh, J., Bush, B., & Batzer, D. P. (2021). Wetlands Provide a Source of Arthropods Beneficial to Agriculture: A Case Study from Central Georgia, USA. JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE, 56(3), 424-440. Retrieved from https://www.webofscience.com/

Lu, K., Batzer, D. P., & Wu, H. (2021). Aquatic invertebrate assemblages during the spring-thaw season in wetlands of Northeastern China. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 848(17), 3943-3953. doi:10.1007/s10750-021-04615-9

Pires, M. M., Grech, M. G., Stenert, C., Maltchik, L., Epele, L. B., McLean, K. I., . . . Batzer, D. P. (2021). Does taxonomic and numerical resolution affect the assessment of invertebrate community structure in New World freshwater wetlands?. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS, 125, 7 pages. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2021.107437

Wu, H. T., Yang, M. Y., Lu, K. L., & Batzer, D. P. (2021). Effects of Ecological Restoration on Trophic Dynamics in Estuarine Wetlands. WETLANDS, 41(1), 7 pages. doi:10.1007/s13157-021-01408-7

Stenert, C., Pires, M. M., Epele, L. B., Grech, M. G., Maltchik, L., McLean, K., . . . Batzer, D. P. (2020). Climate- versus geographic-dependent patterns in the spatial distribution of macroinvertebrate assemblages in New World depressional wetlands. GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, 26(12), 6895-6903. doi:10.1111/gcb.15367

Matteson, C. T., Jackson, C. R., Batzer, D. P., Wilde, S. B., & Jeffers, J. B. (2020). Nitrogen and Phosphorus Gradients from a Working Farm through Wetlands to Streams in the Georgia Piedmont, USA. WETLANDS, 40(6), 2139-2149. doi:10.1007/s13157-020-01335-z

Batzer, D. P., Mehmood, A., Mead, D. G., & Champagne, D. E. (2020). Phenology of Coquillettidia perturbans and Culiseta melanura (Diptera: Culicidae) in East-Central Georgia, USA: Implications for the Ecology of Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus. JOURNAL OF ENTOMOLOGICAL SCIENCE, 55(2), 156-162. doi:10.18474/0749-8004-55.2.156

Bush, B. M., Ulyshen, M. D., & Batzer, D. P. (2020). Effects of Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense) invasion on decomposition and litter-dwelling invertebrates in Southeastern US floodplain forests. BIOLOGICAL INVASIONS, 22(6), 1957-1965. doi:10.1007/s10530-020-02228-2

Batzer, D. P., & Wu, H. (2020). Ecology of Terrestrial Arthropods in Freshwater Wetlands. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ENTOMOLOGY, VOL 65, 65, 101-119. doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-011019-024902

McDaniel, C. H., McHugh, J. V., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Colonization of drying temporary wetlands by Coptotomus loticus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae): a unique strategy for an aquatic wetland insect. WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 27(5-6), 627-634. doi:10.1007/s11273-019-09681-4

Kerr, S. M., Gray, E. W., & Batzer, D. (2019). Evaluation of Larval Medium in the Controlled Current Toxicity Test. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association, 35(4), 295-298. doi:10.2987/19-6837.1

Murray-Stoker, K. M., Batzer, D. P., Murray-Stoker, D., & McHugh, J. (2019). Shifts in the community composition of caddisflies (Insecta: Trichoptera) in a subtropical river over three decades. ECOLOGICAL ENTOMOLOGY, 45(3), 514-524. doi:10.1111/een.12822

Yang, M., Lu, K., Batzer, D. P., & Wu, H. (2019). Freshwater release into estuarine wetlands changes the structure of benthic invertebrate assemblages: A case study from the Yellow River Delta. SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT, 687, 752-758. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.154

Bush, B. M., Stenert, C., Maltchik, L., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Beaver-created successional gradients increase beta-diversity of invertebrates by turnover in stream-wetland complexes. FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, 64(7), 1265-1274. doi:10.1111/fwb.13302

Dodds, W. K., Bruckerhoff, L., Batzer, D., Schechner, A., Pennock, C., Renner, E., . . . Grieger, S. (2019). The freshwater biome gradient framework: predicting macroscale properties based on latitude, altitude, and precipitation. Ecosphere, 10(7). doi:10.1002/ecs2.2786

Wu, H., Guan, Q., Lu, K., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Aquatic macroinvertebrate assemblages in wetlands of Northeastern China. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 838(1), 153-162. doi:10.1007/s10750-019-03984-6

McDaniel, C. H., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Effects of River Flow Regulation beyond the Channel: Multifaceted Changes within a Group of Invertebrate Floodplain Specialists. WETLANDS, 39(1), 87-98. doi:10.1007/s13157-018-1070-1

Bush, B. M., Ulyshen, M. D., Fair, C. G., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Assessing the effects of mesh enclosures on invertebrates and litter breakdown in a floodplain forest of the Southeastern USA. WETLANDS ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, 27(1), 149-156. doi:10.1007/s11273-018-9648-1

Wu, H., Guan, Q., Ma, H., Xue, Z., Yang, M., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Effects of saline conditions and hydrologic permanence on snail assemblages in wetlands of Northeastern China. ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS, 96, 620-627. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2018.09.043

Lu, K., Wu, H., Xue, Z., Lu, X., & Batzer, D. P. (2019). Development of a multi-metric index based on aquatic invertebrates to assess floodplain wetland condition. HYDROBIOLOGIA, 827(1), 141-153. doi:10.1007/s10750-018-3761-2

Batzer, D. P. and D. Boix (eds.). 2016. Invertebrates in Freshwater Wetlands: An International Perspective on their Ecology. Springer Publishers, New York.

Pitt, D. B. and D. P. Batzer. 2015. Potential impacts on stream macroinvertebrates of an influx of woody debris from Eastern Hemlock demise. Forest Science 61:737-746.

Batzer, D. P., B. E. Taylor, A. E. DeBiase, S. E. Brantley, and R. Schultheis. 2015. Response of aquatic invertebrates to ecological rehabilitation of Southeastern USA depressional wetlands. Wetlands 35:803-813.

Holt, C. R., D. Pfitzer, C. Scalley, B. A. Caldwell, P. I. Capece, and D. P. Batzer. 2015. Longitudinal variation in macroinvertebrate assemblages below a large-scale hydroelectric dam. Hydrobiologia 755:13-26.

Holt, C. R., D. Pfitzer, C. Scalley, B. A. Caldwell, and D. P. Batzer. 2015. Macroinvertebrate community responses to annual flow variation from river regulation: an 11-year study. River Research and Applications 31:798-807.

Garnett, J. A. and D. P. Batzer. 2014. Longitudinal variation in community structure of floodplain fishes along two rivers of the southeastern USA. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 71:1291-1302.

Ruhí, A. and D. P. Batzer. 2014. Assessing congruence and surrogacy among wetland macroinvertebrate taxa towards efficiently measuring biodiversity. Wetlands 34:1061-1071.

Batzer, D. P. and R. R. Sharitz (eds.). 2014. Ecology of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands, 2nd ed. University of California Press, Berkeley, 361 pp.

Batzer, D. P. 2013. The seemly intractable ecological responses of invertebrates in wetlands: a review. Wetlands 33:1-15. 

Batzer, D. P. and A. Ruhi. 2013. Is there a core set of organisms that structure macroinvertebrate assemblages in freshwater wetlands? Freshwater Biology 88:1647-1659.

Ruhi, A., D. Boix, S. Gascón, J. Sala, and D. P. Batzer. 2013.  Functional and phylogenetic relatedness in temporary wetland invertebrates: current macroecological patterns and implications for future climatic change scenarios. PLoS-One 8 (11):e81739. Doi:10.81739. 14 pp.

Batzer, D. P., and A. Baldwin. 2012. Wetland habitats of North America: Ecology and Conservation Concerns. University of California Press, Berkeley.

Beganyi, S. R., and D. P. Batzer. 2011. Wildfire induced changes in aquatic invertebrate communities and mercury bioaccumulation in the Okefenokee Swamp. Hydrobiologia 669:237-247.

Bright, E. G., D. P. Batzer, and J. A. Garnett. 2010. Variation in invertebrate and fish communities across floodplain ecotones of the Altamaha and Savannah Rivers. Wetlands 30:1117-1128.

Taylor, A. N. and D. P. Batzer. 2010. Spatial and temporal variation in invertebrate consumer diets in forested and herbaceous wetlands. Hydrobiologia 651:145-159.

Braccia, A. and D. P. Batzer. 2008. Breakdown and invertebrate colonization of dead wood in wetland, upland, and river habitats. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 38:2697-2704.

George, B. M. and D. P. Batzer. 2008. Spatial and temporal variations of mercury levels in Okefenokee invertebrates: Southeast Georgia. Environmental Pollution 152:484-490.

Batzer, D. P. and B. J. Palik. 2007. Variable response by aquatic invertebrates to experimental manipulations of leaf litter input into seasonal woodland ponds. Fundamental and Applied Limnology 168: 155-167.

Kratzer, E. B. and D. P. Batzer. 2007. Spatial ad temporal variation in aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Okefenokee Swamp, Georgia, USA. Wetlands 27: 127-140.

Reese, E. G. and D. P. Batzer. 2007. Do invertebrate communities in floodplains change predictably along a river’s length? Freshwater Biology 52: 226-239.

Churchel, M. A. and D. P. Batzer. 2006. Recovery of aquatic macroinvertebrate communities from drought in Georgia Piedmont headwater streams. American Midland Naturalist 156: 259-272.

Batzer, D. P. and R. R. Sharitz (eds). 2006. Ecology of Freshwater and Estuarine Wetlands. University of California Press, Berkeley.

Batzer, D. P., B. M. George, and A. Braccia. 2005. Aquatic invertebrate responses to timber harvest in a bottomland hardwood wetland of South Carolina. Forest Science 51: 284-291.

Batzer, D. P., S. E. Dietz-Brantley, B. E. Taylor, and A. E. DeBiase. 2005. Evaluating regional differences in macroinvertebrate communities from forested depressional wetlands across eastern and central North America. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 23: 403-414.

Haggerty, S. M., D. P. Batzer, and C. R. Jackson. 2004. Macroinvertebrate response to logging in coastal headwater streams of Washington, U.S.A. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 61: 529-537.

Rader, R. B., D. P. Batzer, and S. A. Wissinger (eds.). 2001. Biomonitoring and Management of North American Freshwater Wetlands. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Braccia, A. and D. P. Batzer. 2001. Invertebrates associated with woody debris in a southeastern forested floodplain wetland. Wetlands 21: 18-31.

Batzer, D. P., C. R. Jackson, and M. Mosner. 2000. Influences of riparian logging on plants and invertebrates in small, depressional wetlands of Georgia, U.S.A. Hydrobiologia 441: 123-132.

Batzer, D. P., C. R. Pusateri, and R. Vetter. 2000. Impacts of fish predation on marsh invertebrates: direct and indirect effects. Wetlands 20: 307-312.

Batzer, D. P., R. Rader, and S. A. Wissinger (eds.). 1999. Invertebrates in Freshwater Wetlands of North America: Ecology and Management. John Wiley and Sons, New York.

Batzer, D. P. 1998. Trophic interactions among detritus, benthic midges, and predatory fish in a freshwater marsh. Ecology 79:1688-1698.

Batzer, D. P. and S. A. Wissinger. 1996. Ecology of insect communities in nontidal wetlands. Annual Review of Entomology 41: 75-100.

Batzer, D. P., M. McGee, V. H. Resh, and R. R. Smith. 1993. Characteristics of invertebrates consumed by mallards and prey response to wetland flooding schedules. Wetlands 13: 41-49.