Rate My Professor Joseph Gathman

Joseph Gathman is a Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. He holds a B.S. from the University of Detroit, an M.S. from the University of Minnesota in Forest Water Quality Management, and a Ph.D. from Michigan State University in Zoology, focusing on Ecology, Evolution, and Behavioral Biology, completed between 1994 and 2000. Since May 2011, he has served as Professor in the Biology Department at UWRF and concurrently as Visiting Scientist and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Windsor, Canada. Gathman teaches undergraduate courses including General Zoology, Entomology, Freshwater Biology, Ecology, and Ecological Methodology. His office is located at 246 Science and Technology Innovation Center, with contact available via phone at 715-425-4201. As a Sustainability Faculty Fellow at UWRF, he has contributed to curricular enhancements promoting sustainability through initiatives like the Kinnickinnic Project. He received the College of Arts and Sciences Excellence in Research, Scholarly and Creative Activities Award in 2012 and 2019.

Gathman's academic specializations encompass the ecology of freshwater fishes and invertebrates, as well as the ecology of Great Lakes coastal wetlands. His research examines aquatic ecosystems, wetlands, community ecology, conservation ecology, freshwater fish ecology, and aquatic macroinvertebrates, often employing multivariate analysis. He participates in the Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Monitoring Program, contributing to quality assurance and long-term assessments of wetland health. Notable publications include 'An expanded fish-based index of biotic integrity for Great Lakes coastal wetlands' (2018), 'Hotspots and bright spots in functional and taxonomic fish diversity' (2019), 'Do Predators Structure Wetland Macroinvertebrate Assemblages? Different Effects of Mudminnows and Dragonfly Nymphs in Field Experiments' (2019), 'A Great Lakes Coastal Wetland Invertebrate Community Gradient: Relative Influence of Flooding Regime and Vegetation Zonation' (2011), and 'Rapid Plant Community Response to a Water Level Peak in Northern Lake Huron Coastal Wetlands' (2005). Gathman serves as Associate Editor for the journal Wetlands and has garnered 591 citations for his 18 publications. His contributions advance understanding of biotic integrity, habitat influences on communities, and conservation strategies in Laurentian Great Lakes shorelines.