David J. Gillett

Ph.D. Student

Email: [[gillett]]
Phone: (804) 684-7740, 7373
Office: Andrews Hall #420
Department: Biological Sciences
Major Advisor: Dr. Linda Schaffner, Biological Sciences

Education

• M.S. Marine Biology, University of Charleston 2003

• B.S. Marine Science with honors, Eckerd College 1997

Research Statement

My primary research interests are in food web energetics of the macrobenthic invertebrate communities in estuaries and coastal oceans as related to anthropogenic alteration of upland and the aquatic ecosystem.  I am also interested in the trophic links between macrobenthos and benthivoric nekton, as well as the general ecology of polychaete and oligochaete worms. 

In my most current research,  I have been conducting secondary production studies of soft-bottomed estuarine macrobenthos coupled with predator exclusion and natural abundance stable isotope  studies to try and understand how benthic habitat quality affects the organic matter being used by the macrobenthic community, the production of the community, and how that production is, in turn, consumed by benthivoric nekton.  To gain more holistic insights to the benthic-pelagic food webs,  I have been combining all of these data with benthic and pelagic primary production data into mathematical food web models and observing how the structure, functioning, and efficiency of the modelled food webs change under different degrees of habitat degradation.

Research Experience

2003 - present: Graduate student as part of the VIMS Benthic Ecology SERDP project; responsible for data collection, macrobenthic ataxonomy, and data analysis.    

2000 - 2003: Graduate research assistant as part of SC DNR MRRI Tidal Creeks Lab LU-CES project;  responsible for design of multi-year benthic sampling program, collection of samples, macrobenthic taxonomy, and data analysis.    

1999 - 2000: Graduate research assistant as part of SC DNR MRRI Tidal Creeks Lab Tidal Creeks Project; responsible for assisting data collection.

Publications

Gillett, D. J., and L. C. Schaffner.  Benthos of the York River.  Journal of Coastal Research.  SI57:  80-98.

Gillett, D.J., A.F. Holland, and D.M. Sanger.  2007.  On the ecology of oligochaetes:  Monthly variation of community composition and environmental characteristics in two South Carolina tidal creeks. Estuaries and Coasts. 30(2):238-252. 

Gillett, D.J., A.F. Holland, and D.M. Sanger.  2005.  Secondary production of a dominant oligochaete (Monopylephorus rubroniveus) in the tidal creeks of South Carolina and its relation to ecosystem characteristics.  Limnology and Oceanography 50:  566-577.

Gillett, D.J.  2003.  The ecology of tidal creek oligochaetes:  changes in abundance and secondary production of the numerically dominant species Monopylephorus rubroniveus (Levinsen, 1884).  A Master’s Thesis.  University of Charleston.  108 pp

Gillett, D. J., and L. C. Schaffner. In prep.  The influence of habitat quality on secondary production in shallow estuarine water.

Gillett, D. J., and L. C. Schaffner.  In prep.  The inflence of habitat quality and macrobenthic community composition on nekton utilization of secondary production as a food source.

Gillett, D. J., and L. C.  Schaffner.  In prep.  Natural abundance ¹³C and ¹⁵N isotope ratios of shallow water estuarine macrobenthos and evidence for resource switching in relation to habitat quality.

Gillett, D. J., L. C. Schaffner, and I. C. Anderson.  In prep.  Modelling the effects of habitat quality on the structure and efficiency of shallow water estuarine benthic-pelagic food webs.

Teaching Experience

2006:  Summer intern mentor in VIMS Research Experience for Undergraduates program

1999 - 2001: Summer intern mentor in SC DNR MRRI Minorities in Marine and Environmental Sciences program

1999:  Teaching assistant Comparative Physiology Lab at the College of Charleston

1998:  Teaching assistant Introductory Biology Lab at the College of Charleston

Awards

2006 - 2008: National Estuarine Research Reserve System Graduate Research Fellowship
2006: Best Graduate Student Poster at the Spring 2006 Atlantic Estuarine Research Society Meeting
2005: Top 50 student oral presentation at Estuarine Research Federation 2005 Conference
2003 - 2005: VIMS Graduate Fellowship
2003: Best Graduate Presentation Spring Semester at the Grice Marine Biological Laboratory

Membership in Professional Societies

• American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO)

• Atlantic Estuarine Research Society (AERS), Former Program Co-Chair

• Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF)
  

Oral Presentations

Gillett, D.J. and L.C. Schafffner.  2007.  Macrobenthic production and habitat quality along a salinity gradient in Chesapeake Bay, USA.  Preseneted at the 2007 Benthic Ecology Meeting, Atlanta, GA. 

Gillett, D.J., L.C. Schaffner, and I.C. Anderson.  2005. Macrobenthic production and trophic transfer efficiency in disturbed and non-disturbed shallow estuarine habitat.  Presented at the 2005 Estuarine Research Federation, Norfolk, VA.

Gillett, D.J., A. F. Holland, and D. M. Sanger.  2003.  Temporal variation in the oligochaete populations of South Carolina Tidal Creeks:  Is it the devil or the deposit feeder in the detail?  Presented at the 2003 Conference of the Estuarine Research Federation, Seattle, WA.

Gillett, D.J., D.M. Sanger, and A.F. Holland.  2001.  Understanding the role of Monopylephorus rubroniveus  (Oligochaeta:Tubificidae) in tidal creek ecosystems.  Presented at the 2001 Conference of the Estuarine Research Federation, St. Petersburg, FL

Gillett, D.J., T.E. Lee, and A.F. Holland.  2000.  Are fish gut content studies biased?  Presented at the Fall 2000 South Eastern Estuary Research Society Meeting, Tampa, FL

Schaffner, L.C., and others.  2005.  Relationships between the Benthic Index of Biotic Integrity (B-IBI), ecosystem function and food web structure in shallow water habitats of Chesapeake Bay – some preliminary insights.  Presented at the 2005 Estuarine Research Federation, Norfolk, VA.

Schaffner, L. C., and D. J. Gillett.  2009.  Benthic community responses to multiple stressors in shallow water habitats of Chesapeake Bay:  Importance of benthic-pelagic coupling.  American Society of Limnology and Oceanography Ocean Sciences Meeting, Nice, France  

Poster Presentations

Gillett, D.J., L.C. Schaffner, and I.C. Anderson.  2008.  Benthic habitat quality and its effects on food web structure and trophic efficiency.  Benthic Ecology Meeting, Providence, RI.

Gillett, D.J., and L.C. Schaffner.  2006.  Macrobenthic production in disturbed and non-disturbed shallow estuarine habitats.  Presented at the Spring 2006 Atlantic Estuarine Research Society meeting, Philadelphia, PA.

Gillett, D.J., C.N. Leonard, E.C. Johnson, D.M. Sanger, and A.F. Holland.  2000 The Tolerance of an estuarine oligochaete, Monopylephorus rubroniveus, to persistent hypoxia. Presented at the 2000 Carolina’s Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry Regional meeting, Wilmington, NC

Sanger, D.M., A.F. Holland, D.J. Gillett, and C.P. Gawle.  Spatial and Temporal Variability in Environmental Conditions in Tidal Creeks: Implications for Monitoring.  Presented at the 2003 Southeast Coastal Ocean Science Conference and Workshop

Biological Sciences / VIMS
P.O. Box 1346, Gloucester Pt., VA  23062-1346, USA
Telephone:  804-684-7344;  FAX:  804-684-7293