Dr Walker
My broad research interests are marine and estuarine ecology, in particular the links between phytoplankton (plant plankton) growth and food webs. I have carried out this research off the west coast of South Africa, off Antarctica, around Marion Island and, more recently, in the Indian Ocean south of Madagascar.
I have also been involved in estuarine ecological research in the Eastern and Western Cape. This has focussed on the freshwater requirements of estuaries in relation to plant and algal growth. I apply this work as a member of the Zandvlei Trust and the Zandvlei Estuarine Management Forum.
Selected publications
WALKER, D.R., R. PERISSINOTTO, R., and R.P.A. BALLY 2001 - Phytoplankton/protozoan dynamics in the Nyara estuary, a small temporarily open system in the eastern Cape (South Africa). African Journal of Aquatic Science 26: 31 - 38.
PERISSINOTTO, R., D.R. WALKER, P.A. WEBB, T.H. WOOLDRIDGE and R.P.A. BALLY 2000 -Relationships between zoo- and phytoplankton in a warm-temperate, semipermanently closed estuary, South Africa. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 51: 1 - 11.
PERISSINOTTO, R and D.R. WALKER 1998 - Marine ecosystems and their productivity. In: Ambasht, R.S. (Ed.), Modern Trends in Ecology & Environment, Elsevier.
CHAPMAN, P., B.A. MITCHELL-INNES and D.R. WALKER 1994 - Microplankton ETS measurements as a means of assessing respiration in the Benguela Ecosystem.S. Afr. J. mar. Sci. 14: 297-312.
WALKER, D.R. and W.T. PETERSON 1991 - Relationships between hydrography, phytoplankton production, biomass, cell size and species composition, and copepod production in the southern Benguela upwelling system. S. Afr. J. mar. Sci. 11:289-305.
PITCHER, G.C., D.R. WALKER, B.A. MITCHELL-INNES and C.L. MOLONEY 1991 – Short term variability during an anchor station in the southern Benguela upwelling system: Phytoplankton dynamics. Prog. Oceanog. 28: 39-64.
MITCHELL-INNES, B.A. and D.R. WALKER 1991 - Short term variability during an anchor station in the southern Benguela upwelling system: Phytoplankton production and biomass in relation to species changes. Prog. Oceanog. 28: 65-89.
COCHRANE, K.L., A.G. JAMES, B.A. MITCHELL-INNES, G.C. PITCHER, H.M. VERHEYE and D.R. WALKER 1991 - Short term variability during an anchor station in the southern Benguela upwelling system: A simulation model. Prog. Oceanog. 28: 121-152.
WALKER, D.R. and G.C. PITCHER 1991 - The dynamics of phytoplankton populations, including a red-tide bloom, during a quiescent period in St Helena Bay, South Africa. S. Afr. J. mar. Sci. 10: 61-70.
