David C Walters
David is a biological science tech with the Eastern Ecological Science Center at the Patuxent Research Refuge in Laurel, MD
David is a wetland ecologist, researching how coastal wetlands respond to sea level rise. With a background in biological and physical sciences, his work focuses on the interaction between wetland plant species and their physical environment.
Professional Experience
2020-Present - U.S. Geological Survey, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Biologist, Coastal Wetlands Group
2017-2020 - NSA Contractor with U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Refuge, Coastal Wetlands Group
2013-2017 - Virginia Institute of Marine Science, Laboratory and Research Specialist
Education and Certifications
M.S., University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, Geology (2013)
B.S., Longwood Univerity, Biology, concentration in Ecology (2011)
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 83
Synthesis: A framework for predicting the dark side of ecological subsidies Synthesis: A framework for predicting the dark side of ecological subsidies
In this chapter, we synthesize the state of the science regarding ecological subsidies and contaminants at the land-water interface and suggest research and management approaches for linked freshwater-terrestrial ecosystems. Specifically, we focus on movements of animals with complex life histories and the detrital inputs associated with animal and plant matter delivered to freshwaters...
Authors
Johanna M. Kraus, Jeff Wessner, David Walters
Uranium bioaccumulation dynamics in the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer and application to site-specific prediction Uranium bioaccumulation dynamics in the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer and application to site-specific prediction
Little is known about the underlying mechanisms governing the bioaccumulation of uranium (U) in aquatic insects. We experimentally parameterized conditional rate constants for aqueous U uptake, dietary U uptake, and U elimination for the aquatic baetid mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer. Results showed that this species accumulates U from both the surrounding water and diet, with waterborne...
Authors
Brianna L. Henry, Marie Noele Croteau, David Walters, Janet L. Miller, Daniel J. Cain, Christopher C. Fuller
Do two wrongs make a right? Persistent uncertainties regarding environmental selenium-mercury interactions Do two wrongs make a right? Persistent uncertainties regarding environmental selenium-mercury interactions
Mercury (Hg) is a pervasive environmental pollutant and contaminant of concern for both people and wildlife that has been a focus of environmental remediation efforts for decades. A growing body of literature has motivated calls for revising Hg consumption advisories to co-consider selenium (Se) levels in seafood and implies that remediating aquatic ecosystems with ecosystem-scale Se...
Authors
Jacqueline R. Gerson, David Walters, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Emily S. Bernhardt, Jessica E Brandt
Food web controls on mercury fluxes and fate in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon Food web controls on mercury fluxes and fate in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon
Mercury (Hg) biomagnification in aquatic food webs is a global concern; yet, the ways species traits and interactions mediate these fluxes remain poorly understood. Few pathways dominated Hg flux in the Colorado River despite large spatial differences in food web complexity, and fluxes were mediated by one functional trait, predation resistance. New Zealand mudsnails are predator...
Authors
David Walters, Wyatt F. Cross, Theodore Kennedy, Colden V. Baxter, R. O. Hall, Emma J. Rosi
Contaminant subsidies to riparian food webs in Appalachian streams impacted by mountaintop removal coal mining Contaminant subsidies to riparian food webs in Appalachian streams impacted by mountaintop removal coal mining
Selenium is highly elevated in Appalachian streams and stream organisms that receive alkaline mine drainage from mountaintop removal coal mining compared to unimpacted streams in the region. Adult aquatic insects can be important vectors of waterborne contaminants to riparian food webs, yet pathways of Se transport and exposure of riparian organisms are poorly characterized. We...
Authors
Laura C. Naslund, Jacqueline R. Gerson, Alexander C. Brooks, David Walters, Emily S. Bernhardt
Thermal variability drives synchronicity of an aquatic insect resource pulse Thermal variability drives synchronicity of an aquatic insect resource pulse
Spatial heterogeneity in environmental conditions can prolong food availability by desynchronizing the timing of ephemeral, high‐magnitude resource pulses. Spatial patterns of water temperature are highly variable among rivers as determined by both natural and anthropogenic features, but the influence of this variability on freshwater resource pulse phenology is poorly documented. We...
Authors
Heidi E. Anderson, Lindsey K. Alberson, David Walters
Non-USGS Publications**
Lauzon, R., Murray, A. B., Moore, L. J., Walters, D. C., Kirwan, M. L., & Fagherazzi, S. (2018). Effects of marsh edge erosion in coupled barrier island-marsh systems and geometric constraints on marsh evolution. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123, 1218– 1234. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004530
Moore, L.J. et al. (2018). The Role of Ecomorphodynamic Feedbacks and Landscape Couplings in Influencing the Response of Barriers to Changing Climate. In: Moore, L., Murray, A. (eds) Barrier Dynamics and Response to Changing Climate. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68086-6_10
Schieder, N.W., Walters, D.C. & Kirwan, M.L. Massive Upland to Wetland Conversion Compensated for Historical Marsh Loss in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 940–951 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0336-9
Walters, D.C. & M.L. Kirwan, Optimal hurricane overwash thickness for maximizing marsh resilience to sea level rise, Ecology and Evolution (2016). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.2024
Moore, L.J., Walters, D.C., et al., Ecomorphodynamic feedbacks and couplings between landscape units affect barrier island response to changing climate. In: Coastal Sediments, (2015). https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/9789814689977_0246
Walters, D., et al., Interactions between barrier islands and backbarrier marshes affect island system response to sea level rise: Insights from a coupled model, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, (2014). https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014JF003091
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 83
Synthesis: A framework for predicting the dark side of ecological subsidies Synthesis: A framework for predicting the dark side of ecological subsidies
In this chapter, we synthesize the state of the science regarding ecological subsidies and contaminants at the land-water interface and suggest research and management approaches for linked freshwater-terrestrial ecosystems. Specifically, we focus on movements of animals with complex life histories and the detrital inputs associated with animal and plant matter delivered to freshwaters...
Authors
Johanna M. Kraus, Jeff Wessner, David Walters
Uranium bioaccumulation dynamics in the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer and application to site-specific prediction Uranium bioaccumulation dynamics in the mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer and application to site-specific prediction
Little is known about the underlying mechanisms governing the bioaccumulation of uranium (U) in aquatic insects. We experimentally parameterized conditional rate constants for aqueous U uptake, dietary U uptake, and U elimination for the aquatic baetid mayfly Neocloeon triangulifer. Results showed that this species accumulates U from both the surrounding water and diet, with waterborne...
Authors
Brianna L. Henry, Marie Noele Croteau, David Walters, Janet L. Miller, Daniel J. Cain, Christopher C. Fuller
Do two wrongs make a right? Persistent uncertainties regarding environmental selenium-mercury interactions Do two wrongs make a right? Persistent uncertainties regarding environmental selenium-mercury interactions
Mercury (Hg) is a pervasive environmental pollutant and contaminant of concern for both people and wildlife that has been a focus of environmental remediation efforts for decades. A growing body of literature has motivated calls for revising Hg consumption advisories to co-consider selenium (Se) levels in seafood and implies that remediating aquatic ecosystems with ecosystem-scale Se...
Authors
Jacqueline R. Gerson, David Walters, Collin A. Eagles-Smith, Emily S. Bernhardt, Jessica E Brandt
Food web controls on mercury fluxes and fate in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon Food web controls on mercury fluxes and fate in the Colorado River, Grand Canyon
Mercury (Hg) biomagnification in aquatic food webs is a global concern; yet, the ways species traits and interactions mediate these fluxes remain poorly understood. Few pathways dominated Hg flux in the Colorado River despite large spatial differences in food web complexity, and fluxes were mediated by one functional trait, predation resistance. New Zealand mudsnails are predator...
Authors
David Walters, Wyatt F. Cross, Theodore Kennedy, Colden V. Baxter, R. O. Hall, Emma J. Rosi
Contaminant subsidies to riparian food webs in Appalachian streams impacted by mountaintop removal coal mining Contaminant subsidies to riparian food webs in Appalachian streams impacted by mountaintop removal coal mining
Selenium is highly elevated in Appalachian streams and stream organisms that receive alkaline mine drainage from mountaintop removal coal mining compared to unimpacted streams in the region. Adult aquatic insects can be important vectors of waterborne contaminants to riparian food webs, yet pathways of Se transport and exposure of riparian organisms are poorly characterized. We...
Authors
Laura C. Naslund, Jacqueline R. Gerson, Alexander C. Brooks, David Walters, Emily S. Bernhardt
Thermal variability drives synchronicity of an aquatic insect resource pulse Thermal variability drives synchronicity of an aquatic insect resource pulse
Spatial heterogeneity in environmental conditions can prolong food availability by desynchronizing the timing of ephemeral, high‐magnitude resource pulses. Spatial patterns of water temperature are highly variable among rivers as determined by both natural and anthropogenic features, but the influence of this variability on freshwater resource pulse phenology is poorly documented. We...
Authors
Heidi E. Anderson, Lindsey K. Alberson, David Walters
Non-USGS Publications**
Lauzon, R., Murray, A. B., Moore, L. J., Walters, D. C., Kirwan, M. L., & Fagherazzi, S. (2018). Effects of marsh edge erosion in coupled barrier island-marsh systems and geometric constraints on marsh evolution. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 123, 1218– 1234. https://doi.org/10.1029/2017JF004530
Moore, L.J. et al. (2018). The Role of Ecomorphodynamic Feedbacks and Landscape Couplings in Influencing the Response of Barriers to Changing Climate. In: Moore, L., Murray, A. (eds) Barrier Dynamics and Response to Changing Climate. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-68086-6_10
Schieder, N.W., Walters, D.C. & Kirwan, M.L. Massive Upland to Wetland Conversion Compensated for Historical Marsh Loss in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Estuaries and Coasts 41, 940–951 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-017-0336-9
Walters, D.C. & M.L. Kirwan, Optimal hurricane overwash thickness for maximizing marsh resilience to sea level rise, Ecology and Evolution (2016). https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.2024
Moore, L.J., Walters, D.C., et al., Ecomorphodynamic feedbacks and couplings between landscape units affect barrier island response to changing climate. In: Coastal Sediments, (2015). https://www.worldscientific.com/doi/10.1142/9789814689977_0246
Walters, D., et al., Interactions between barrier islands and backbarrier marshes affect island system response to sea level rise: Insights from a coupled model, Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, (2014). https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014JF003091
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.