My lab and I study how the interactions between species affect the structure and dynamics of ecological communities. Our work combines mathematical theory with observational and experimental approaches in an effort to advance our understanding of species-rich communities. Most of our work has focused on rocky intertidal, kelp forest, and freshwater stream systems. Primary topics of research include (i) developing methods for characterizing the strength and functional forms of species interactions, (ii) understanding the influence of direct and indirect effects in complex interaction networks, and (iii) quantifying patterns of individual diet specialization within populations of generalist predators to understand its consequences at the population and community level.