The Woodland Lab

Welcome to the Woodland Laboratory at the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory (CBL), one of several campuses of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (UMCES). CBL is the oldest publicly supported marine laboratory on the East Coast and is located at the confluence of the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay. Visit the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory Pier Monitoring Program to check out local conditions at Solomons, MD, or you can read about the Bay at large by viewing the latest Chesapeake Bay Health Report Card.

Our research focuses on aquatic ecosystems, spanning freshwater streams to coastal oceans, and how environmental factors (often human-induced) influence the structure and function of natural communities. Core research themes touch upon several broad areas of ecology, but there is a particular emphasis on the effects of human activities on aquatic food webs and community structure, and the processes that drive observed spatial and temporal patterns in trophic relationships. We frequently use natural abundance 'bulk' stable isotopes techniques in our research but we are expanding into compound-specific stable isotope analysis and the use of experimental isotope-labelling methods. 

Recent News

• Welcome to Raul Flamenco! Raul joined the lab in August as a Ph.D. student and NOAA LMRCSC Fellow. Most recently, he held a fellowship at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine after graduating with a M.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Connecticut. 

• Welcome to Pauline Lawrence! Pauline is a recent graduate of St. Mary's College of Maryland and joined the lab as a Master's student this summer. Pauline is an UMCES Centennial Presidential Fellow and conducted her honors thesis research on spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) eye lens stable isotope composition.

• A new study by Matthew Stefanak provides an intriguing first look at the spatial distribution and habitat of Branchiostoma spp. in the Chesapeake Bay region.

• The Woodland Lab and UMCES American Fisheries Society Student Subunit will be hosting the 2026 Tidewater Chapter of the American Fisheries Society in Solomons, MD in March 2026! Keep an eye on the Tidewater website for more details.