Research Topics:

Oliver Shipley's research combines long standing ecological principles, such as niche theory, with chemical tracer and telemetry techniques to provide a thorough understanding of species’ functional role(s), and how these modulate food web dynamics. His research addresses several fundamental questions: 1) what drives ecological niche variation at various levels of biological organization? 2) how can ecophysiological principles be used to predict the timing of important biological events? 3) what are the fitness consequences of niche variation and how does this impact ecosystem dynamics? His current research explores linkages between energy flow, community assembly, and fitness variation in aquatic consumers in both historical and modern contexts.