Steve Thomas

Steve Thomas is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Alabama. He is actively accepting graduate students and focuses on functional attributes of stream ecosystems, community composition effects, and interactions between ecosystem and evolutionary processes. His research spans nutrient dynamics, material transport, and management impacts in aquatic systems, with recent expansions into microbiome interactions and stoichiometry databases. Current funded projects include ecological impacts of urban/agricultural nutrient loading, microbiome functional roles, and large-scale ecological pattern analysis.

Research interests emphasize both basic and applied questions in freshwater ecology, including:

• Longitudinal connectivity in stream networks
• Nutrient spiraling and bioactive layer processes
• Ecological consequences of land-use changes
• Hydropower impacts in tropical river systems
• Food web dynamics and methodological innovations

Recent work highlights interdisciplinary approaches combining field experiments with advanced sensor technologies, particularly in tropical rainforest streams and agricultural-impacted systems. Collaborative projects involve global researchers addressing large-scale ecological patterns and conservation challenges.

Current projects include:

• Stoichiometry database development for cross-scale ecological analysis
• Nutrient sensor networks quantifying urban/agricultural loading
• Trophic web reconstruction using isotope tracer experiments