Oswald ‘Os’ Schmitz

Oswald ‘Os’ Schmitz, is the Oastler Professor of Population and Community Ecology of School of Forestry and Environmental Studies; Director Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies. He has a Ph.D. 1989, University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources; M.Sc. 1984, University of Guelph, Department of Zoology; B.Sc. 1982, University of Guelph, Department of Zoology.

Professor Schmitz’s research examines the dynamics and structure of terrestrial food webs. His specific focus is on plant-herbivore interactions and how they are shaped by carnivores and soil-nutrient levels, both at the level of herbivore foraging ecology and plant-herbivore population dynamics. He is also examining how natural systems are resistant and resilient to natural and human-induced disturbances. His approach involves developing mathematical theories of species interactions in food webs and testing these theories through field experiments. The work deals with a variety of ecosystems and herbivore species, ranging from moose deer and snowshoe hare in northern Canadian forests to insects in New England old-field ecosystems.