Kenneth H. Dunton

Professor, Department of Marine Science  Research Professor, Marine Science Institute  Ph.D., University of Alaska (1985)  M.S., Western Washington University (1977)  B.S., University of Maine-Orono (1975) Home page

Aquatic Plant Ecology/Coastal Ecosystem Processes

Benthic marine vegetation of subtropical and polar regions, including the biology of high latitude kelps and the ecology of subtropical seagrass and estuarine marsh communities; structure and function of estuarine and coastal food webs; biogeochemical cycling of carbon and nitrogen in aquatic plant communities; application of stable isotopes as tracers of anthropogenic-N in coastal systems; ecosystem response to climate change.

Research Interests

Funded projects include, in the Arctic, (1) a GIS project that links variations in benthic biomass to both spatial variations in productivity and long-term climate change, (2) ecological characterization of the linked barrier island - lagoon ecosystem of the eastern Beaufort Sea (Arctic Natural Wildlife Refuge; ANWR); and (3) the effect of offshore oil exploration and development activities on benthic marine algae and coastal food webs.  In the Gulf of Mexico, the incorporation of nitrogen from coastal watersheds into the food webs of seagrass and coral reef communities.  In Texas, (1) the development of models to predict seagrass productivity and plant carbon balance as a function of the in situ light environment, (2) experimental evaluation of water quality indicators to assess seagrass ecological status, and (3) the effect of freshwater inflows on the production ecology of a subtropical estuarine marsh using remote sensing and GIS techniques.  Work on the role of marine macrophytes in aquatic food webs using stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes also continues, and is currently focused on coral reef and estuarine systems in the Gulf of Mexico.

Selected Publications

Dunton, K.H., J.L. Goodall, S.V. Schonberg, J.M. Grebmeier, and D.R. Maidment.  2005.  Multi-decadal synthesis of benthic-pelagic coupling in the western arctic: Role of cross-shelf advective processes.  Deep-Sea Research II 52:3462-3477.

Dunton, K.H.  2001.  δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C measurement of Antarctic peninsula fauna: trophic relationships and assimilation of benthic seaweeds.  American Zoologist 41:99-112.

Dunton, K.H., B. Hardegree, and T.E. Whitledge.  2001.  Response of estuarine marsh vegetation to inter-annual variations in precipitation.  Estuaries 24(6A):851-861.

Lee, K.-S. and K.H. Dunton.  2000.  Effects of nitrogen enrichment on biomass allocation, growth, and leaf morphology of the seagrass Thalassia testudinum.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 196:39-48.

Stable carbon isotope values for a variety of pelagic and benthic consumers collected from the northeastern Chukchi Sea (155° W) to the eastern Beaufort Sea (143° W).  The high degree of benthic-pelagic coupling in consumers from the Chukchi is reflected by the low range in ¹³C values (2‰) compared to food web structure in the eastern Beaufort (7‰). Chukchi Sea and western Beaufort (Cape Halkett) data from Dunton et al. (1989).

Contact: Kenneth H. Dunton
Modified: Mon Sep 30, 2002