Background

Biography

Zech is an ecologist, environmentalist, and educator. He seeks to understand how ecological systems change over space and time, both naturally and in response to anthropogenic stress and disturbance. Zech's graduate research focuses on rocky intertidal communities, and he plans to devote his career to studying and preserving coastal ecosystems. He also contributes to conservation efforts through collaborative work on marine protected area establishment. By pursuing fundamental and applied research projects, Zech hopes to make discoveries that advance our understanding of the natural world and are societally relevant.

Research

Co-advised by Sally Hacker and Bruce Menge

Zech studies rocky intertidal ecosystems of Oregon, California, and Nova Scotia. He is interested in how climate change, disturbance events, diseases, and species interactions influence the dynamics of community succession. Following his passion for conservation, Zech has also published research on marine protected area commitments and the unintended consequences of biocontrol insects for threatened wildflowers.

Teaching

Classes Taught

• BI 101. Environmental Biology: Ecology, Conservation, and Global Change
• BI 102. Animal Biology: Genes, Behavior, and Evolution of Life
• BI 211. Principles of Biology: Diversity of Life
• BI 212. Principles of Biology: Structure and Function from Cells to Organisms
• BI 450. Marine Biology and Ecology

Education

BA, Biology & Environmental Studies, Lawrence University, 2015

Research areas