Associate Professor
Education
B.Sc., Miami University, 1972, School of Education (Biology)
M.Sc., Miami University, 1975, Zoology Department
Ph.D., Colorado State University, 1983, Department of Fishery and Wildlife Biology/Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory
Postdoctoral Fellow, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, 1986, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia
Academic Experience
| 1995-present |
Associate Professor of Ecology, Departments of Landscape Architecture and Affiliate of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois |
| 1992-1995 |
Associate Professor of Ecology, Departments of Landscape Architecture and Forestry, University of Illinois |
| 1986 - 1992 |
Assistant Professor of Ecology, Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois |
| 1983 - 1986 |
Postdoctoral Fellow, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory |
| 1981 - 1983 |
Research Assistant, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico |
| 1977 - 1981 |
Ph.D., Research conducted at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado |
Research
Research has focused on ecosystem responses to natural and anthropogenic disturbances over a wide variety of geographical areas, including the Jemez Mountains of New Mexico, the Colorado Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, the eastern deciduous forest, the Southeastern Coastal Plain, and the Illinois prairie region. Work has involved holistic studies of such habitat disturbances as insect outbreaks, fire, logging, waste reduction and farming practices. Recent work focuses on the biogeochemistry of riparian buffer strips and constructed wetlands and their effectiveness in reducing shallow subsurface inputs of nutrients to surface waters in the agricultural Midwest. This work involves the study of: 1) soil inorganic nitrogen losses and cation losses in upland and wetland habitats following environmental disturbances, 2) mineralization potential of soils, and 3) nutrient cycling. The ultimate goal of this work is to develop methodologies to reduce nitrate, phosphorus and pesticide loading in agricultural areas of the Midwest. Research work also includes a recent study to characterize the effects of Army training disturbances on nutrient cycling in Southeastern forests.
Publications
McArthur, J. V., D. A. Kovacic and M. H. Smith. 1988. Genetic diversity in natural populations of a soil bacterium across a landscape gradient. Proc. Natl. Acad. Science 85:9621-9624.
Kovacic, D.A. , T. G. Ciravolo, K. W. McLeod and J. Erwin. 1990. Potential nitrate leaching losses and nitrogen mineralization in an Atlantic Coastal Plain watershed following disturbance- preliminary results. In Ecological processes and cumulative impacts: as illustrated by bottomland hardwood wetland ecosystems. Gosselink, J., L.C. Lee and T. Muir, eds.
Kovacic, D.A. , A. A. Leff, T. G. Ciravolo and K. W. McLeod. 1990. Potential cation leaching losses following disturbance across a southeastern coastal plain landscape gradient. In Freshwater wetlands and wildlife: Perspectives on natural, managed and degraded ecosystems. Sharitz, R.R. and J.W. Gibbons, eds.
Touchet, B. A., S. Faulkner, R. Heeren, D. A. Kovacic, W. Patrick and C. Segelquist. 1990. The use of soil classes to delineate transition zones in bottomland hardwood forests. In Ecological processes and cumulative impacts: as illustrated by bottomland hardwood wetland ecosystems. Gosselink, J., L.C. Lee and T. Muir, eds.
Kovacic, D.A. , R. A. Cahill and T. J. Bicki. 1992. Compost - Brown gold or toxic trouble. Environmental Science and Technology 26:38-41.
Kovacic, D.A., K.D. Konyha, Mark B. David, L.L. Osborne. 1993. Grassed detention buffer strips for reducing agricultural NPS pollution from tile drainage systems. p. 227-236. In M. Davis (ed.) Research on Agricultural Chemicals in Illinois Groundwater: Status and Future Directions III. Proceedings of the Third Annual Conference, March 31-April 1, 1993. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.
Osborne, L.L., and D. A. Kovacic. 1993. The influence of riparian vegetation on nutrient losses in a Midwestern stream watershed. Freshwater Biol. 29:243-258.
Kovacic, D.A. and Lewis L. Osborne. 1994. Effects of riparian buffers in reducing agriculutral pollution in Champaign County, Illinois. Erigenia 13:117-121.
Kovacic, D.A., D.A. Kovacic, L.E. Gentry and K.D. Konyha. 1994. Nitrogen dynamics of agricultural watersheds in central Illinois. p. 110-115. In M. Davis (ed.) Research on Agricultural Chemicals in Illinois Groundwater: Status and Future Directions IV. Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Conference, March 23-24, 1994. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.
Kovacic, D.A., K.D. Konyha, M.B. David and L.E. Gentry. 1994. Grassed detention buffer strips for reducing agricultural NPS from tile drainage systems. p. 67-76. In M. Davis (ed.) Research on Agricultural Chemicals in Illinois Groundwater: Status and Future Directions IV. Proceedings of the Fourth Annual Conference, March 23-24, 1994. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.
David, M.B., D.A. Kovacic, and L.E. Gentry. 1995. Nitrogen dynamics of agricultural watersheds in central Illinois. p. 78-87. In M. Davis (ed.) Research on Agricultural Chemicals in Illinois Groundwater: Status and Future Directions V. Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Conference, March 29-30, 1995. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.
Kovacic, D.A. and L.L. Osborne. 1995. Effects of riparian buffers in reducing agricultural pollution in Champaign County, Illinois. Erigenia 13:117-121.
Kovacic, D.A., M.B. David and L.E. Gentry. 1995. Grassed detention buffer strips for reducing agricultural NPS from tile drainage systems. p. 96-105. In M. Davis (ed.) Research on Agricultural Chemicals in Illinois Groundwater: Status and Future Directions V. Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Conference, March 29-30, 1995. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.
David, M.B., D.A. Kovacic, and L.E. Gentry and K.M. Smith. 1996. Nitrogen dynamics of agricultural watersheds in central Illinois. p. 227-240. In M. Davis (ed.) Research on Agricultural Chemicals in Illinois Groundwater: Status and Future Directions VI. Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Conference, March 27-28, 1996. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.
Kovacic, D.A., M.B. David and L.E. Gentry. 1996. Grassed detention buffer strips for reducing agricultural NPS from tile drainage systems. p. 88-97. In M. Davis (ed.) Research on Agricultural Chemicals in Illinois Groundwater: Status and Future Directions VI. Proceedings of the Sixth Annual Conference, March 27-28, 1996. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL.
David, M.B. , L.E. Gentry, D. A. Kovacic and K.M. Smith. 1997. Nitrogen balance and export from an agricultural watershed. J. Environ. Qual. 26: 1-11.
David, M.B. , L.E. Gentry, K.M. Smith and D. A. Kovacic. 1997. Carbon, plant, and temperature control of nitrate removal from wetland mesocosms. Transactions of the Illinois State Academy of Science 90: 104-112.
David, M.B., L.E. Gentry, D.A. Kovacic and K.M. Smith. 1997. Nitrogen balance and export from an agricultural watershed. J. Environ. Qual. 26:1038-1048.
Kovacic, D.A. and L.E. Gentry. 1997. Wetlands yesterday and today. Illinois Steward 6: 11-15.
Gentry, L.E., M.B. David, D.A. Kovacic and K.M. Smith 1998. Agricultural nitrogen cycling and tile drainage nitrate loss. Agric., Ecosys. and Environ. 68:85-97.
Kovacic, D.A., R. Craig, R. Patterson, W.H. Romme and D.G. Despain. 1998. Fire dynamics in the yellowstone landscape from 1690-1990: An animation. Landscape Journal (Special Issue) pp. 6-7.
Xue, Y., M.B. David, L.E. Gentry, and D.A. Kovacic. 1998. Kinetics and modeling of dissolved phosphorus export from a tile-drained agricultural watershed. J. Environ. Qual. 27: 917-922.
Xue, Y. , D.A. Kovacic, M.B. David, L.E. Gentry, R.L. Mulvaney and C.W.Lindau. 1999. In situ measurements of denitrification in constructed wetlands. J. Environ. Qual. 28:263-269.
Gentry, L.E., M.B. David, K.M. Starks and D.A. Kovacic. 2000. Nitrogen fertilizer and herbicide transport via preferential flow paths in tile-drained fields. J. Environ. Qual. 29:232-240.
Larson, A., L.E. Gentry, M.B. David, R.A. Cooke and D.A. Kovacic. 2000. The influence of seepage on constructed wetlands receiving agricultural tile drainage. Ecol. Eng.15:91-104.
Kovacic, D.A., M.B. David, L.E. Gentry, K.M. Starks and R.A. Cooke. 2000 Effectiveness of constructed wetlands in reducing nitrogen and phosphorus export from agricultural tile drainage. J. Environ. Qual. 29:1262-1274.
Hoagland, C.R., L.E. Gentry, M.B. David, and D.A. Kovacic. 2001. Plant nutrient uptake and biomass accumulation in a constructed wetland. J. Freshwater Ecol. 16: 527-540.
Professional Memberships
American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Institute of Biological Sciences
American Society of Landscape Architects
Association of Southeastern Biologists
Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture
Ecological Society of America
International Association for Landscape Ecology
Soil Science Society of America
Society of Wetland Scientists
Wildlife Society
Xi Sigma Pi
