Scott W. Shumway
Professor of Biology
Office: Science Center Rm 125
Phone: 508-286-3945
Email: sshumway@wheatoncollege.edu
Degrees
Ph.D., Brown University
B.S., Tufts University
Main Interests
I am an ecologist with broad interests in coastal plant communities (salt marshes, sand dunes, and mangroves), vernal pool amphibians and invertebrates, coral reef communities, and conservation biology.
Research Interests
I am currently writing a natural history guide that will be published in 2006 as "A Naturalist's Guide to the Atlantic Seashore."
My research focuses on the population and community ecology of plants growing in interdunal swale communities on Cape Cod. Swale communities are located in damp depressions between coastal sand dunes and support dense growth of wetland plant species. My initial research on Sandy Neck, a barrier beach in Barnstable, MA, distinguished several different types of swale communities based on their plant species compositions. Subsequent research has been aimed at elucidating the roles of plant tolerance to waterlogged soils and soil seed banks in determining the distribution patterns of species within and between swales.
I am one of the founders of the Wheaton College Vernal Pool Research Team which studies the biology of vernal pool amphibians and invertebrates. I sponsor student research projects on vernal pools and have supervised the certification of over 40 vernal pools.
Teaching Interests
I teach Plant Biology, Freshwater and Marine Botany, Marine Biology, Vernal Pool Conservation Biology, Tropical Field Biology, and Environmental Science.
Professor McCafferty and I offer Tropical Field Biology, a two-week course taught in Belize and Costa Rica. It will be offered again in January 2007.
I am also an academic advisor for the Environmental Science major and Environmental Studies minor.
I am interested in the campus trees for their aesthetic beauty and as a teaching tool in my botany classes. My students and I are placing display labels on many of the campus trees. Working as Wheaton Research Partners, Dan Foxman (class of 2002) and I have created The Virtual Tree Walk, a tour of notable trees of the Wheaton College campus. Each spring I lead the Holcombe Austin Tree Walk as part of alumni/graduation weekend.
Other Interests
I serve on town boards in Westborough Massachusetts, including the Open Space Preservation Committee (2002-present) and Conservation Commission (1998-2004).
I also enjoy nature photography, gardening, and birdwatching.
Student Projects
"Do shell repair scars protect snails against future attacks by shell crushing predators?' Independent research project by Alex Adams (2005).
"Got Crabs? The impact of the introduced crab species Hemigrapsus sanguineus at Mount Hope Bay in Rhode Island." Senior honors thesis by Hilary Rogers (2004).
"Determining causes of differential growth of Solidago sempervirens over a marsh-dune gradient." Senior honors thesis by Lelia Mitchell (1998).
"Plant flood tolerances in interdunal swales." Senior honors thesis by Catherine Banks (1997).
Vernal Pool Certification in Norton and Westborough, MA. Independent projects involving many students including Joseph O≠Sullivan (00), Lauren Cochenour (01), Jennifer Fitzpatrick (02), Melissa Cormier (03), Shelley Edmundson (03), Dave Giuliani (03), David Janas (03), Rebecca Andersen (04), Hillary Rogers (04), Molly Thompson (04), Alexis Mullen (04), Chris Hurley (04), Nick Warren (04), Shea Clarke (07), Megan Brousseau (08).
Publications
A Naturalist's Guide to the Atlantic Seashore is the ultimate guide to the diverse eco-systems of the Atlantic Coast from the Gulf of Maine to Cape Hatteras. From the tiniest diatom found in coastal tide pools to the giant baleen whales cruising the vast ocean, the species and habitats that make up the character of the seashore are described in detail for the enjoyment and enlightenment of beachgoers of all stripes.
Selected Publications, Creative Work or Performances
Shumway, SW and Banks, C. 2001. Species distributions in interdunal swale communities: the effects of soil waterlogging. American Midland Naturalist 145:137-146.
Shumway, SW. 2000. Facilitative effects of a sand dune shrub on species growing beneath the shrub canopy. Oecologia 124:138-148.
Baptista, TL & Shumway, SW. 1998. A comparison of the seed banks of sand dunes with different disturbance histories on Cape Cod National Seashore. Rhodora. 100:298-313.
Morgan, KN & Shumway, SW. 1996. Things that go bump in the night: An interdisciplinary research team at Wheaton College. Council on Undergraduate Research Quarterly 17:72-73.
Shumway, SW. 1996. The Swales of Sandy Neck: A report to the Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
Shumway, SW. 1995. Physiological integration among clonal ramets during invasion of disturbance patches in a New England salt marsh. Annals of Botany 76:225-233
Shumway, SW & Bertness, MD. 1994. Patch size effects on marsh plant secondary succession mechanisms. Ecology 75:564-568.
Bertness, MD & SW Shumway. 1993. Competition and facilitation in marsh plants. American Naturalist 142:718-724.
Shumway, SW. 1993. Meiosis and Playing Cards. The Science Teacher Volume 60 Number 7: 62-63
Shumway, SW & MD Bertness. 1992. Salt stress limitation of seedling recruitment in a salt marsh plant community. Oecologia 92:490-497.