Research Interests
- Aquatic ecology
- Ecotoxicology
- Multiple stressors and contaminants
Projects
In her 24 years as an aquatic ecologist, and in addition to the efforts described above, Dr. Chen has studied the bioavailability and bioaccumulation of mercury and other metals (arsenic, cadmium, lead, zinc) in benthic and pelagic invertebrates and trophic transfer to fish. She has conducted metal bioavailability studies in the laboratory using freshwater and estuarine crustaceans and fish, and has also investigated metal bioaccumulation and trophic transfer in field studies in lakes, streams and estuaries in the Northeast US.
Dr. Chen’s research questions focus on the chemical and ecological factors that influence metal uptake, including salinity, natural organic matter, feeding strategy, and food web structure. She also investigates the influence of species and size on the co-occurrence of metal contaminants and fatty acids in coastal fish tissue as well as the environmental factors predicting co-occurrence of metal and organic contaminants in fish and invertebrates in lakes, rivers, and coastal waters.
Lamb, J. S., C. Cooper‐Mullin, S. G. Gilliland, A. M. Berlin, T. D. Bowman, W. S. Boyd, S. E. W. De La Cruz, D. Esler, J. R. Evenson, P. Flint, C. Lepage, D. E. Meattey, J. E. Osenkowski, P. W. C. Paton, M. C. Perry, D. Rosenberg, J. ‐P. L. Savard, L. Savoy, J. Schamber, D. H. Ward, J. Y. Takekawa, & S. R. McWilliams. 2024. Evaluating conservation units using network analysis: A sea duck case study. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment: e2648.
Plesh, S. P., J. R. Lovvorn, & M. W. C. Miller. 2023. Organic matter sources and flows in tundra wetland food webs. PLOS ONE 18: e0286368.
Miller, M. W. C., J. R. Lovvorn, N. R. Graff, N. C. Stellrecht, & S. P. Plesh. 2023. Prey availability and foraging activity by tundra‐nesting sea ducks: Strong preference for specific wetland types. Ecology and Evolution 13.
Lescure, L., J. Gulka, & G. K. Davoren. 2023. Increased foraging effort and reduced chick condition of Razorbills under lower prey biomass in coastal Newfoundland, Canada. Marine Ecology Progress Series 709: 109-123.
Meier, A. C., S. Bourgeois, E. Adams, H. Bikang, L. Jasperse-Sjolander, M. Lewis, J. Masseloux, D. J. Morin, & J. R. Poulsen. 2023. Fruit availability and human disturbance influence forest elephant group size. Animal Behaviour 203: 171-182.
Brunbauer, M., K. McClellan Press, K. A. Williams, B. K. Dresser, J. Gulka, & G. Lampman. 2023. Effective stakeholder engagement for offshore wind energy development: The state of New York's Fisheries and Environmental Technical Working Groups. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 15: e10236.
Adams, E. M., J. E. Gulka, Y. Yang, M. E. H. Burton, D. A. Burns, V. Buxton, L. Cleckner, C. R. DeSorbo, C. T. Driscoll, D. C. Evers, N. Fisher, O. Lane, H. Mao, K. Riva-Murray, G. Millard, N. R. Razavi, W. Richter, A. K. Sauer, & N. Schoch. 2023. Distribution and trends of mercury in aquatic and terrestrial biota of New York, USA: A synthesis of 50 years of research and monitoring. Ecotoxicology 32: 959-976.
Sayers, C. J., D. C. Evers, V. Ruiz-Gutierrez, E. Adams, C. M. Vega, J. N. Pisconte, V. Tejeda, K. Regan, O. P. Lane, A. A. Ash, R. Cal, S. Reneau, W. Martínez, G. Welch, K. Hartwell, M. Teul, D. Tzul, W. J. Arendt, M. A. Tórrez, M. Watsa, G. Erkenswick, C. E. Moore, J. Gerson, V. Sánchez, R. P. Purizaca, H. Yurek, M. E. H. Burton, P. L. Shrum, S. Tabares-Segovia, K. Vargas, F. F. Fogarty, M. R. Charette, A. E. Martínez, E. S. Bernhardt, R. J. Taylor, T. H. Tear, & L. E. Fernandez. 2023. Mercury in Neotropical birds: A synthesis and prospectus on 13 years of exposure data. Ecotoxicology 32: 1096-1123.
Friedland, K. D., E. M. Adams, C. Goetsch, J. Gulka, D. C. Brady, E. Rzeszowski, D. P. Crear, S. Gaichas, A. B. Gill, M. C. McManus, E. T. Methratta, J. L. Morano, & M. D. Staudinger. 2023. Forage fish species prefer habitat within designated offshore Wind Energy Areas in the U.S. Northeast shelf ecosystem. Marine and Coastal Fisheries 15.
Fournier, A. M. V., R. R. Wilson, J. S. Gleason, E. M. Adams, J. M. Brush, R. J. Cooper, S. J. DeMaso, M. J. L. Driscoll, P. C. Frederick, P. G. R. Jodice, M. A. Ottinger, D. B. Reeves, M. A. Seymour, S. M. Sharuga, J. M. Tirpak, W. G. Vermillion, T. J. Zenzal, J. E. Lyons, & M. S. Woodrey. 2023. Structured decision making to prioritize regional bird monitoring needs. INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics 53: 207-217.
