Mary F Poteet

Mary Poteet is an Assistant Professor of Practice in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences with a joint appointment in the CNS Freshman Research Initiative. Her research broadly examines the complex responses of aquatic ecosystems to anthropogenic disturbance with a special emphasis on the role of urban stressors on creek ecosystem function. Most recently, as co-faculty of the Urban Ecosystems Research Stream in the FRI, she works with 20-30 undergraduates each semester to study drivers of ecosystem metabolism in creeks of Central Texas. She and her team of students have installed suites of sensors in urban and rural creeks to model metabolic regime and measure thermal stresses in creeks impacted by the Austin urban heat island. Her team further assesses potential mechanisms driving changes in metabolic regime through direct measures of community and ecosystem features that respond to urban stressors. Through this work, she collaborates with the City of Austin and Waterloo Conservancy to help develop management strategies for urban creek ecosystems in Central Texas.

Prior to working on stream metabolic regimes, Mary’s work focused on metabolic response of the Barton Springs and San Marcos Springs Salamanders to reduced dissolved oxygen and conductivity stress associated with drought and water extraction. These resulting data were used to develop management strategies for maintaining dissolved oxygen levels in Barton Springs to sustain salamander populations. In a broader context, she worked on a USGS project assessing vulnerability of karst-dwelling species to projected climate change. Her current work on ecosystem function is a natural progression of her past wonk on the impacts of climate change and resource extraction on aquatic species.

Her passion for teaching is evident in the work she does with students in the Freshman Research Initiative and in the Jackson Scholar’s program. As co-director of the Jackson Scholars, Mary helps students develop experiences that prepare them for future careers, including study abroad, leadership roles, research, and outreach. In addition to advising the Jackson Scholar’s students, for the past three years, Mary has helped lead these students on field geology and natural history trips to Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, South Dakota, and Scotland.