We use an ecosystem approach to understand the causes and consequences of biodiversity declines as well as quantifying the effect of ecosystem restoration and management actions on ecosystem health in GA rivers. This research is at the nexus of societal needs for functioning ecosystems, global change stressors, and biodiversity conservation. Currently we focus on separate and interacting stressors on aquatic systems, including effects of flow modification, non-point source pollution, and climate change. 

Historically, conservation biology work is focused on populations and habitat improvement. However, in order to understand and manage biodiverse ecosystems, we need to apply tools and understanding from ecosystem ecology. Currently, we are seeking to understand how aquatic macrophytes and mussels affect habitat stability and ecosystem functions such as OM retention. This project seeks to understand interrelationships between patterns in ecosystem function and the decline of biodiversity. 

Understanding how ecosystem structure and function respond to environmental variability is crucial for predicting consequences of global change. Much of my current and past research has focused on three major characteristics of stream ecosystems that are substantially affected by changing climate and land use: nutrients, temperature, and stream flow. 

Current work is investigating the relative importance of variation in climate-related factors (temperature and discharge) versus OM availability in driving temporal dynamics of invertebrate communities. Dr. Bumpers is also investigating how warming affects organic matter breakdown in detritus-based streams; testing the extent to which detritus-based systems adhere to predictions of the metabolic theory of ecology. Previous resarch by Dr. Bumpers focused on understanding the role of nitrogen and phosphorus in headwater forest streams.