World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

D-Index & Metrics

Ecology and Evolution

D-Index
81
Citations
23361
World Ranking
799
National Ranking
289

Research.com Recognitions

  • 1965 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Overview

What is he best known for?

The fields of study he is best known for:

  • Ecology
  • Ecosystem
  • Botany

His main research concerns Ecology, Environmental chemistry, Dissolved organic carbon, Organic matter and Ecosystem. Aquatic ecosystem, Nutrient, Plankton, Freshwater ecosystem and Pelagic zone are among the areas of Ecology where the researcher is concentrating his efforts. Robert G. Wetzel studied Environmental chemistry and Phytoplankton that intersect with Botany.

Robert G. Wetzel has researched Organic matter in several fields, including Macrophyte, Total organic carbon, Microbial population biology, Decomposer and Litter. His study in Ecosystem is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing from both Competition, Plant community and Agronomy, Growing season. Within one scientific family, Robert G. Wetzel focuses on topics pertaining to Limnology under Benthic zone, and may sometimes address concerns connected to Productivity.

His most cited work include:

  • Limnology: Lake and River Ecosystems (3855 citations)
  • Natural photolysis by ultraviolet irradiance of recalcitrant dissolved organic matter to simple substrates for rapidbacterial metabolism (491 citations)
  • Gradient-dominated ecosystems: sources and regulatory functions of dissolved organic matter in freshwater ecosystems (425 citations)

What are the main themes of his work throughout his whole career to date?

His main research concerns Ecology, Environmental chemistry, Botany, Dissolved organic carbon and Wetland. His Ecology research focuses on Ecosystem, Aquatic ecosystem, Macrophyte, Nutrient and Phytoplankton. His Aquatic ecosystem research includes elements of Trophic level, Limnology and Zooplankton.

His Environmental chemistry study deals with Organic matter intersecting with Littoral zone and Freshwater ecosystem. His Botany research is multidisciplinary, incorporating perspectives in Biomass, Productivity and Plant litter. Robert G. Wetzel has included themes like Decomposition, Bacterial growth, Water column, Leachate and Photochemistry in his Dissolved organic carbon study.

He most often published in these fields:

  • Ecology (37.93%)
  • Environmental chemistry (21.26%)
  • Botany (18.97%)

What were the highlights of his more recent work (between 2000-2014)?

  • Dissolved organic carbon (17.24%)
  • Environmental chemistry (21.26%)
  • Ecology (37.93%)

In recent papers he was focusing on the following fields of study:

The scientist’s investigation covers issues in Dissolved organic carbon, Environmental chemistry, Ecology, Botany and Ecosystem. His studies in Dissolved organic carbon integrate themes in fields like Decomposition, Total organic carbon, Colored dissolved organic matter, Photochemistry and Carbon. The various areas that he examines in his Environmental chemistry study include Organic matter, Periphyton, Mineralization and Nitrogen.

His research on Ecology often connects related topics like Protease. His Botany research is multidisciplinary, incorporating elements of Productivity, Nutrient cycle, Biomass and Plant litter. Robert G. Wetzel works mostly in the field of Productivity, limiting it down to topics relating to Microbial ecology and, in certain cases, Biofilm, as a part of the same area of interest.

Between 2000 and 2014, his most popular works were:

  • Photochemical and microbial decomposition of chromophoric dissolved organic matter during long (months–years) exposures (148 citations)
  • Kinetics of microbial Fe(III) oxide reduction in freshwater wetland sediments (131 citations)
  • 19 – Dissolved Organic Carbon: Detrital Energetics, Metabolic Regulators, and Drivers of Ecosystem Stability of Aquatic Ecosystems1 (116 citations)

In his most recent research, the most cited papers focused on:

  • Ecology
  • Ecosystem
  • Botany

Robert G. Wetzel mostly deals with Dissolved organic carbon, Organic matter, Biochemistry, Total organic carbon and Environmental chemistry. His Dissolved organic carbon study integrates concerns from other disciplines, such as Photochemistry and Plankton. His Biochemistry study incorporates themes from Profundal zone and Nuclear chemistry.

He interconnects Amorphous solid, Slurry and Oxide in the investigation of issues within Total organic carbon. His research in Environmental chemistry intersects with topics in Marine ecosystem and Primary producers. His work deals with themes such as Trophic level, Ecology and Aquatic ecosystem, which intersect with Botany.

Best Publications

  • Natural photolysis by ultraviolet irradiance of recalcitrant dissolved organic matter to simple substrates for rapidbacterial metabolism

    Robert G. Wetzel;Patrick G. Hatcher;Thomas S. Bianchi

  • Gradient-dominated ecosystems: sources and regulatory functions of dissolved organic matter in freshwater ecosystems

    Robert G. Wetzel

  • Land-water interfaces: Metabolic and limnological regulators

    Unknown

  • Death, detritus, and energy flow in aquatic ecosystems

    Robert G. Wetzel

  • Organic carbon oxidation and suppression of methane production by microbial Fe(III) oxide reduction in vegetated and unvegetated freshwater wetland sediments

    Eric E. Roden;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Uptake of dissolved inorganic and organic bphosphorus compounds by phytoplankton and bacterioplankton

    James B. Cotner;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Habitat Partitioning and Competitive Displacement in Cattails (Typha): Experimental Field Studies

    James B. Grace;Robert G. Wetzel

  • COPRECIPITATION OF PHOSPHATE WITH CARBONATES IN A MARL LAKE

    Akira Otsuki;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Effects of Climate Change on Freshwater Ecosystems of the South-Eastern United States and the Gulf Coast of Mexico

    Patrick J. Mulholland;G. Ronnie Best;Charles C. Coutant;George M. Hornberger

  • Phosphorus flux from lake sediments: Effect of epipelic algal oxygen production

    Richard G. Carlton;Robert G. Wetzel

  • A Comparative Study of the Primary Production of Higher Aquatic Plants, Periphyton, and Phytoplankton in a Large, Shallow Lake

    Unknown

  • Photochemical and microbial decomposition of chromophoric dissolved organic matter during long (months–years) exposures

    Anssi V Vähätalo;Robert G Wetzel

  • Decomposition of aquatic angiosperms. II. Particulate components

    Gordon L. Godshalk;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Boundary-layer and internal diffusion effects on phosphorus fluxes in lake periphyton1

    Hans H. Riber;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Kinetics of microbial Fe(III) oxide reduction in freshwater wetland sediments

    Eric E. Roden;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Nutrient additions by waterfowl to lakes and reservoirs: predicting their effects on productivity and water quality

    Bruce A. Manny;W.C. Johnson;R.G. Wetzel

  • Niche differentiation between two rhizomatous plant species: Typha latifolia and Typha angustifolia

    James B. Grace;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Microbial biomass and production associated with decaying leaf litter of the emergent macrophyte Juncus effusus

    K. A. Kuehn;M. J. Lemke;K. Suberkropp;R.G. Wetzel

  • Photochemical transformation of allochthonous organic matter provides bioavailable nutrients in a humic lake

    Anssi V. Vähätalo;Kalevi Salonen;Uwe Münster;Marko Järvinen

  • The importance of zooplankton‐protozoan trophic couplings in Lake Michigan

    Hunter J. Carrick;Gary L. Fahnenstiel;Eugene F. Stoermer;Robert G. Wetzel

  • 19 – Dissolved Organic Carbon: Detrital Energetics, Metabolic Regulators, and Drivers of Ecosystem Stability of Aquatic Ecosystems1

    Robert G. Wetzel

  • METABOLISM OF DISSOLVED AND PARTICULATE DETRITAL CARBON IN A TEMPERATE HARD- WATER LAKE.

    Unknown

  • Microcommunities and microgradients: Linking nutrient regeneration, microbial mutualism, and high sustained aquatic primary production

    Robert G. Wetzel

  • Natural organic matter and sunlight accelerate the degradation of 17ß-estradiol in water

    Dina M. Leech;Matthew T. Snyder;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Biomass, production, and specific growth rate of bacterioplankton and coupling to phytoplankton in an oligotrophic lake

    Michael F. Coveney;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Extracellular enzyme-clay mineral complexes: Enzyme adsorption, alteration of enzyme activity, and protection from photodegradation

    Todd Tietjen;Robert G. Wetzel

  • Direct Comparison of Phosphate Uptake by Adnate and Loosely Attached Microalgae within an Intact Biofilm Matrix.

    JoAnn M. Burkholder;Robert G. Wetzel;Karen L. Klomparens

  • Wetlands. Ecology and Management.

    C. F. Mason;B. Gopal;R. E. Turner;R. G. Wetzel

Frequent Co-Authors

Gene E. Likens
Gene E. Likens University of Connecticut
James A. Teeri
James A. Teeri University of Michigan–Ann Arbor
James B. Grace
James B. Grace United States Geological Survey
Martin W. Doyle
Martin W. Doyle Duke University
Eric E. Roden
Eric E. Roden University of Wisconsin–Madison
Thomas S. Bianchi
Thomas S. Bianchi University of New Hampshire
Dennis F. Whigham
Dennis F. Whigham Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
JoAnn M. Burkholder
JoAnn M. Burkholder North Carolina State University
Laura Gunn Leff
Laura Gunn Leff Kent State University
Patrick G. Hatcher
Patrick G. Hatcher Old Dominion University

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Best Scientists Citing Robert G. Wetzel