• Associate professor, Biology
• Director, Tyson Research Center

Chase

• B.S. at University of Michigan
• M.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife at Utah State University
• Ph.D. in Ecology and Evolution at University of Chicago

News Stories & Tip Sheets:

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'McDonaldization' of frogs Frog fungus hammering biodiversity of communities Sept. 22, 2009 -- Photo by Roberto Brenes Tiny frog killed by invasive fungus. Everyone knows that frogs are in trouble. But a recent analysis by Washington University in St. Louis researchers of data on Central American frogs collected by a University of Maryland colleague shows the situation is worse than had been thought. Under pressure from an invasive fungus, the frogs in this biodiversity hot spot are undergoing "a vast homogenization" that is leaving behind simpler communities that increasingly resemble one another. "We're witnessing the McDonaldization of the frog communities," comments Kevin G. Smith, Ph.D., the lead author of the analysis and associate director of Washington University's Tyson Research Center, a site the fungus has also reached.

Living Building Challenge What could be one of North America's greenest buildings opened May 29 June 2, 2009 -- Joe Angeles/WUSTL Photo The Living Learning Center Download An opening ceremony for what could be one of North America's greenest buildings — a flagship building on the cutting edge of sustainable design and energy efficiency — was held May 29 at Washington University in St. Louis' new Living Learning Center at the university's Tyson Research Center. The Living Learning Center is a 2,900-square-foot facility built to meet the Living Building Challenge — designed to be the most stringent green building rating system in the world — of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council (CRGBC). No building has met its standard yet, but the Living Learning Center is in the running to be the first in North America.

Living Building Challenge What could be one of North America's greenest buildings set to open May 29 May 28, 2009 -- Photos courtesy Dan Hellmuth, Hellmuth Bicknese Architects Tyson's own Eastern Red Cedar used for exterior siding Download An opening ceremony for what could be one of North America's greenest buildings — a flagship building on the cutting edge of sustainable design and energy efficiency — will take place at 4 p.m. May 29 at Washington University in St. Louis' new Living Learning Center at the university's Tyson Research Center. The Living Learning Center is a 2,900-square-foot facility built to meet the Living Building Challenge — designed to be the most stringent green building rating system in the world — of the Cascadia Region Green Building Council (CRGBC). No building has met its standard yet, but the Living Learning Center is in the running to be the first in North America.

That tangled web Human practices are deforming frogs Sept. 7, 2004 -- Copyright Pieter Johnson Eutrophication is caused by higher phosphorous and nitrogen that create a profound impact on the food web, threatening the frogs' existence. A collaboration involving ecologists at WUSTL and the University of Wisconsin strongly points to farming practices and development, two factors that create a condition called eutrophication in ponds and wetlands, as factors behind the high incidence of deformed frogs. Eutrophication is caused by higher phosphorus and nitrogen (prime components of agricultural fertilizer) levels in wet ecosystems. Higher levels of these nutrients cause a profound impact on the food web that imperils the frogs' existence.

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Clips:

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Bird Diversity Lessens Human Exposure to West Nile Virus ScienceDaily.com and 7 others Oct. 7, 2008 -- A study by WUSTL biologists shows that the more diverse a bird population is in an area, the less chance humans have of exposure to West Nile Virus.

Drought Can Destroy Diversity LiveScience.com Oct. 22, 2007 -- Scientists are more interested than ever in the effects of extreme climate swings, such as prolonged drought, because the computer models predict wilder extremes as one effect of the climate change now underway. WUSTL biology professor and ecologist Jonathan Chase comments on his study that appeared in the Oct. 15 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Invasive Mosquito Species Found in Midwest Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch and 32 others Sept. 27, 2005 -- A species of mosquito common in the eastern U.S. and capable of carrying the West Nile virus has made its way to the Midwest for the first time, a finding made by WUSTL junior chemistry major Stephanie Gallitano. Gallitano, WUSTL biology professor Jonathan Chase and Gallitano's mentor and postdoctoral fellow James Vonesh comment.

Chase's research interests are broad but generally focus on the rules (or lack thereof) underlying the diversity, distribution, and abundance of animal and plant species from the population/community/ecosystem perspective. He is particularly interested in the patterns and processes that develop at the interface between local and regional spatial scales.

To approach these questions, he combines mathematical theory, observations and statistical approaches, rigorous experimentation in both the field and lab, and a knowledge of natural history.

Chase earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, a master's from Utah State University and a doctorate from the University of Chicago. He has autored many important papers, and in 2003 published, with co-author M.A. Leibold, Ecological Niches: LinkingClassical and Contemporary Approaches, University of Chicago Press.

As director of the Tyson Research Center, he coordinates research projects with university and area researchers and oversees activities at the 2,000-acre field site. Tyson Research Center, just 25 minutes from the Danforth Campus on I-44 at Beaumont and Antire Road, was conveyed to the University in 1963 by the U.S. government following a variety of uses, including munitions storage during World War II and the Korean conflict. The site has more than 80 buildings and installations erected by the government. Before 1941, the land primarily was used for crops and grazing as well as woodlands.