Research Area(s)

Landscape ecology (how landscape pattern influences ecological processes and biodiversity).

Research

Dr. Weishampel’s primary research interest is in the field of landscape ecology, i.e., how landscape pattern influences ecological processes and biodiversity. Using simulation models coupled with field observations, he explores how the interplay between abiotic conditions (e.g., habitat structure, natural and anthropogenic disturbance regimes) and biotic processes (e.g., competition, dispersal, growth, succession) governs the behavior of plants and animals at landscape scales. One emphasis of his research is to use models, interfaced with remote sensing (from satellite and airborne instruments) and geographic information systems (GIS), to explore spatial properties of ecological systems to better understand compositional, structural, and functional biodiversity in terrestrial, freshwater, and marine systems.