Scientist Emeritus
443-482-2214
Specialty
Quantitative Ecologist Research Labs
Staff Profile
Biography
Don earned a B.A. in Biology from Wabash College and a Ph.D. in Ecology from the University of Tennessee. Don has expertise in ecological modeling and landscape ecology and over 30 years of post-graduate research experience. He leads a research program that applies spatial analysis and mathematical, statistical, and computer models to ecological problems. His work considers the linkages among ecosystems and the role of human activities in complex landscapes. His research has contributed to understanding and solving environmental problems arising from human impacts. Don is a leader in developing the science of landscape ecology as applied to the transfer of materials through landscapes. His recent research has focused on the linkages of watersheds to wetland condition, to stream chemistry and biology, and to estuarine health.
An up-to-date list of Don's publications with links to full text copies in PDF format is available from Smithsonian Research Online at this link (Don Weller publication list).
Contact Information
Donald E. Weller
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
647 Contees Wharf Road, P.O. Box 28
Edgewater, MD 21037-0027
Publications
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(2023). Rise of Ruppia in Chesapeake Bay: Climate change–driven turnover of foundation species creates new threats and management opportunities . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120 (23) http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2220678120
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(2023). Environmental DNA reveals anadromous river herring habitat use and recolonization after restoration of aquatic connectivity . Environmental DNA, 5 (1) , 25-37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/edn3.348
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(2022). Data synthesis for environmental management: A case study of Chesapeake Bay . Journal of environmental management, 321 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.115901
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(2022). Structural Equation Models Suggest That On-Farm Noncrop Vegetation Removal Is Not Associated with Improved Food Safety Outcomes but Is Linked to Impaired Water Quality . Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 88 (23) http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.01600-22
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(2021). The Chesapeake Bay program modeling system: Overview and recommendations for future development . Ecological Modelling, 456 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2021.109635
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(2018). Accuracy and Precision of Tidal Wetland Soil Carbon Mapping in the Conterminous United States. Scientific Reports, 8 (1) , 9478. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26948-7
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(2018). Accuracy and Precision of Tidal Wetland Soil Carbon Mapping in the Conterminous United States. Scientific Reports, 8 (1) , 9478. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-26948-7
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(2017). Linking the Abundance of Estuarine Fish and Crustaceans in Nearshore Waters to Shoreline Hardening and Land Cover . Estuaries and Coasts, 40 (5) , 1464-1486. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0213-6
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(2016). The Relationship Between Shoreline Armoring and Adjacent Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in Chesapeake Bay and Nearby Atlantic Coastal Bays . Estuaries and Coasts, 39 (1) , 158-170. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-015-9970-2
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(2016). Local and regional disturbances associated with the invasion of Chesapeake Bay marshes by the common reed Phragmites australis . Biological Invasions, 18 (9) , 2661-2677. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10530-016-1136-z
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(2015). Interannual variation in submerged aquatic vegetation and its relationship to water quality in subestuaries of Chesapeake Bay . Marine Ecology Progress Series, 537 , 121-135. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps11412
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(2014). Effects of Shoreline Alteration and Other Stressors on Submerged Aquatic Vegetation in Subestuaries of Chesapeake Bay and the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Bays. Estuaries and Coasts, 37 (6) , 1516-1531. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12237-014-9768-7
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(2014). Cropland Riparian Buffers throughout Chesapeake Bay Watershed: Spatial Patterns and Effects on Nitrate Loads Delivered to Streams . JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 50 (3) , 696-712. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jawr.12207
