Dr. Christopher P. Bloch is Professor and Chairperson of Biological Sciences at Bridgewater State University, Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Dr. Bloch first went to Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, where in 1994 he earned a B.S. degree in Biology, and in 1997 an M.S. degree in Biology. Dr. Bloch then went to Texas Tech University, Lubbock, Texas, where in 2004 he received his Ph.D. degree in Biology. Dr. Bloch joined the faculty of Bridgewater State University in the fall of 2006. His primary teaching responsibilities include General Biology II, Ecology, and Biometry (experimental design and statistical analysis in biological research). Dr. Bloch's research interests lie primarily at the population and community levels of ecological organization. Currently, the principal focus of his work involves the effects of natural (e.g., hurricanes) and anthropogenic (e.g., logging) disturbance events on population dynamics and community structure. Most of this work has used terrestrial snails as a model organism, but he has studied a variety of organisms, including whip spiders, rodents, and bats, in tropical and temperate systems. He also maintains an interest in the mechanisms that generate broad-scale patterns of biodiversity. He actively involves Bridgewater students in his ongoing research on the ecology of terrestrial snails in Puerto Rico, as well as local projects focusing on effects of habitat loss and fragmentation. Source: [Bridgewater State University](https://www.bridgew.edu/department/biological-sciences/dr-christopher-bloch)