Life Sciences Commons^™

Deconstructing The Mangrove Carbon Cycle: Gains, Transformation, And Losses, M. F. Adame, N. Cormier, P. Taillardat, N. Iram, A. Rovai, T. M. Sloey, E. S. Yando, J. F. Blanco-Libreros, M. Arnaud, T. Jennerjahn, C. E. Lovelock, D. Friess, G. M. S. Reithmaier, C. A. Buelow, S. M. Muhammad-Nor, R. R. Twilley, R. A. Ribeiro

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Mangroves are one of the most carbon-dense forests on the Earth and have been highlighted as key ecosystems for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Hundreds of studies have investigated how mangroves fix, transform, store, and export carbon. Here, we review and synthesize the previously known and emerging carbon pathways in mangroves, including gains (woody biomass accumulation, deadwood accumulation, soil carbon sequestration, root and litterfall production), transformations (food web transfer through herbivory, decomposition), and losses (respiration as CO₂ and CH₄, litterfall export, particulate and dissolved carbon export). We then review the technologies available to measure carbon fluxes in …

Temporal Changes In Biological Community Structure In Response To Wetland Restoration: A Study Based On Amphibians And Reptiles, Kayla Keith

Honors Program Theses and Projects

Wetland degradation is a serious environmental concern worldwide. In the United States, over half of the wetland ecosystems have degraded since 1780, which can have numerous, lasting consequences with negative outcomes on ecosystems and human society alike. Ecological restoration can regain both the lost wetland acreage and functions. Both global and national scale interests in ecological restoration have trickled down, which has kindled the local and regional natural resource managers and conservation authorities to invest in restoration. Consequently, large-scale wetland restoration projects are now underway in southeastern Massachusetts, which has coincided with a decline in commercial cranberry farming in the …

Distribution Patterns And Factors Influencing Relative Abundance Of The Alligator Snapping Turtle (Macrochelys Temminckii) In Mississippi, Luke Pearson, Lucas Haralson, Gabrielle Berry, Grover J. Brown, Carl Qualls

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Macrochelys temminckii (Alligator Snapping Turtle) was recently proposed as a threatened species under the US Endangered Species Act due to current and projected future declining populations range wide. Despite a presumed statewide distribution in Mississippi, the Alligator Snapping Turtle had been documented in only 32 of 82 counties between 1857 and 2012, thus leaving a substantial gap in our knowledge of this species’ distribution. Therefore, we collected credible records from museums, literature, and the general public, as well as directly assessed the current distribution and relative abundance of the Alligator Snapping Turtle in all major river systems (i.e., Pascagoula, Pearl, …

An Integrative Salt Marsh Conceptual Framework For Global Comparisons, Erik S. Yando, Scott F. Jones, W. Ryan James, Denise D. Colombano, Diana I. Montemayor, Stefanie Nolte, Jacqueline L. Raw, Shelby L. Ziegler, Luzhen Chen, Daniele Daffonchio, Marco Fusi, Kerrylee Rogers, Liudmila Sergienko

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Salt marshes occur globally across climatic and coastal settings, providing key linkages between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. However, salt marsh science lacks a unifying conceptual framework; consequently, historically well-studied locations have been used as normative benchmarks. To allow for more effective comparisons across the diversity of salt marshes, we developed an integrative salt marsh conceptual framework. We review ecosystem-relevant drivers from global to local spatial scales, integrate these multi-scale settings into a framework, and provide guidance on applying the framework using specific variables on 11 global examples. Overall, this framework allows for appropriate comparison of study sites by accounting for …

Using Multiple Taxa And Wetland Classification Schemes For Enhanced Detection Of Biological Response Signatures To Human Impairment, Walter Veselka Iv, Walter S. Kordek, James T. Anderson

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Wetland indices of biological integrity (IBIs) are a common component in monitoring the wetland water resources as required by the United States’ Clean Water Act (CWA). The effectiveness of an IBI to monitor disturbance is dependent on the metrics being consistently responsive to measures of human disturbance within a described classification category. We present IBIs designed for two types of commonly used wetland classification systems – the hydrogeomorphic (HGM) and the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI). The metrics making up the IBIs were derived from anuran, avian, macroinvertebrate, and vegetation communities; each representing increasing levels of resources associated with gathering the …

Effects Of Land Use And Pollution Loadings On Ecotoxicological Assays And Bacterial Taxonomical Diversity In Constructed Wetlands, Subhomita Ghosh Roy, Charles F. Wimpee, Stephen Andrew Mcguire, Timothy J. Ehlinger

Biological Sciences Faculty Articles

Freshwater ecosystems are affected by anthropogenic alterations. Different studies have extensively studied the concentrations of metals, nutrients, and water quality as measurements of pollution in freshwater ecosystems. However, few studies have been able to link these pollutants to bioindicators as a risk assessment tool. This study aimed to examine the potential of two bioindicators, plant ecotoxicological assays and sediment bacterial taxonomic diversity, in ecological risk assessment for six freshwater constructed wetlands in a rapidly urbanizing watershed with diverse land uses. Sediment samples were collected summer, 2015 and 2017, and late summer and early fall in 2016 to conduct plant ecotoxicological …

An Artificial Habitat Increases The Reproductive Fitness Of A Range-Shifting Species Within A Newly Colonized Ecosystem, Zachary J. Cannizzo, Susan Q. Lang, Bryan Benitez-Nelson, Blaine D. Griffen

Faculty Publications

When a range-shifting species colonizes an ecosystem it has not previously inhabited, it may experience suboptimal conditions that challenge its continued persistence and expansion. Some impacts may be partially mitigated by artificial habitat analogues: artificial habitats that more closely resemble a species' historic ecosystem than the surrounding habitat. If conditions provided by such habitats increase reproductive success, they could be vital to the expansion and persistence of range-shifting species. We investigated the reproduction of the mangrove tree crab Aratus pisonii in its historic mangrove habitat, the suboptimal colonized salt marsh ecosystem, and on docks within the marsh, an artificial mangrove …

Do Genetic Differences Explain The Ability Of An Alkaline Shrub To Grow In Both Uplands And Wetlands?, Carol A. Rowe, Paul G. Wolf, Robert W. Lichvar

Biology Faculty Publications

The hydrophyte Allenrolfea occidentalis (S. Watson) Kuntze (iodinebush) is a halophytic shrub of the arid southwest that is listed as a facultative wetland species on the National Wetland Plant List. This rating means that the species is usually a hydrophyte but occasionally is found in uplands. We tested for genetic (ecotypic) differences between plants sampled from wetlands versus uplands. We used the technique of genotyping by sequencing to generate data from 132 plants from 30 locations representing both wetland and upland occurrences for over 1300 loci. Analyses indicated that the strongest genetic signal is from differences in geographic distribution: samples …

Investigating The Functions Of Wetlands, Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve In Virginia

Reports

Grade level: 2-5

Subject area: Life Science

Students will perform two experiments using models of wetlands to learn about the ability of wetlands to prevent erosion, control flooding, and soak up pollutants. They will apply this knowledge in an activity using metaphors to describe a wetland.There is also an outdoor activity that may be added to teach students about a particular type of wetland, the saltmarsh, and adaptations for plants that live in those environments

Landscape-Scale Effects Of Supra-Seasonal Drought On Semi-Aquatic Snake Assemblages, Philip N. Vogrinc, Andrew M. Durso, Christopher T. Winne, John D. Willson

Biology Faculty Publications

Climate change is predicted to alter the frequency and intensity of precipitation events, placing stress on freshwater aquatic ecosystems and their associated wildlife. Thus, understanding interspecific variation in drought sensitivity and the repeatability of those responses across heterogeneous landscapes is critical. Semi-aquatic snakes serve important roles within aquatic ecosystems and several species are threatened. Yet, little is known about the effects of drought on semi-aquatic snake populations or assemblages. We systematically trapped 20 isolated wetlands in South Carolina before (2006) and after (2013) a multi-year supra-seasonal drought to determine drought-induced shifts in occupancy and detection for five semi-aquatic snake species. …

Standing Dead Trees Are A Conduit For The Atmospheric Flux Of Ch4 And Co2 From Wetlands, Mary Jane Carmichael, Ashley M. Helton, Joseph C. White, William K. Smith

Biology Faculty Scholarship

In vegetated wetland ecosystems, plants can be a dominant pathway in the atmospheric flux of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Although the roles of herbaceous vegetation and live woody vegetation in this flux have been established, the role of dead woody vegetation is not yet known. In a restored wetland of North Carolina’s coastal plain, static flux chambers were deployed at two heights on standing dead trees to determine if these structures acted as a conduit for methane emissions. Methane fluxes to the atmosphere were measured in five of the chambers, with a mean flux of 0.4±0.1 mg m-2 h-1. …

Influence Of Experimental Sheet Flow On Aquatic Foods Webs Of The Central Everglades, Sarah C. Bornhoeft

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Establishing historical water velocities is a goal of Everglades restoration because of their role maintaining landscape topographic relief. However, flows may also change the trophic state of marshes by phosphorus loading. I used fatty acid (FA) and stoichiometric data to quantify how increased sheet flow altered the relative heterotrophic and autotrophic contributions to aquatic consumers in a field experiment that introduced flowing water to an Everglades marsh in November, 2014. Algal taxonomic composition was different between pre-flow and flow sampling, marked by increases in the nutrient exploiting Mougeotia species (green algae) during flow sampling. Dietary tracer FAs in consumers reflected …

Controls On Benthic Microbial Community Structure And Assembly In A Karstic Coastal Wetland, Nicholas O. Schulte

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The assembly mechanisms underlying microbial community abundance, biotic interactions, and diversity over space and time are unresolved, particularly in benthic microbial mats distributed along environmental gradients. Experimental enrichment of nutrient-limited microbial mats from the Florida Everglades along a nutrient subsidy-salinity stress gradient stimulated autotrophic and heterotrophic metabolism, growth, and diversity independent of autotroph-heterotroph interactions across treatments and space. These results suggest spatial segregation of autotrophic and heterotrophic components within mats. Considering only the diatom component of Everglades mats over space and time, the subsidy-stress gradient controlled diatom compositional turnover at broad spatial scales while environmental and dispersal-based processes structured diatom …

Surface Water Inundation In The Boreal-Artic: Potential Impacts On Regional Methane Emissions, J. D. Watts, John S. Kimball, Annett Bartsch, Kyle C. Mcdonald

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Northern wetlands may be vulnerable to increased carbon losses from methane (CH₄), a potent greenhouse gas, under current warming trends. However, the dynamic nature of open water inundation and wetting/drying patterns may constrain regional emissions, offsetting the potential magnitude of methane release. Here we conduct a satellite data driven model investigation of the combined effects of surface warming and moisture variability on high northern latitude (45° N) wetland CH₄ emissions, by considering (1) sub-grid scale changes in fractional water inundation (Fw) at 15 day, monthly and annual intervals using 25 km resolution satellite microwave retrievals, and (2) …

Mechanisms Of Diatom Assembly In A Hydrologically-Managed Subtropical Wetland, Sylvia S. Lee

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Diatoms are useful indicators of ecological conditions but the mechanisms driving assemblage distribution are not clearly defined. Understanding the mechanisms underlying assemblage distribution is necessary to make accurate predictions about the effects of environmental change, such as hydrologic management, restoration, and climate change. The examination of diatom distribution and key drivers across a large wetland over several years can provide a resolved spatio-temporal framework for determining the relative importance of environmental and spatial factors influencing assemblage patterns. I examined a 6-year record of diatom distribution across the Everglades, a large hydrologically-managed subtropical wetland. Successful restoration of this ecosystem depends on …

Belowground Advantages In Construction Cost Facilitate A Cryptic Plant Invasion, Joshua Caplan

Biology Faculty Research and Scholarship

The energetic cost of plant organ construction is a functional trait that is useful for understanding carbon investment during growth (e.g. the resource acquisition vs. tissue longevity tradeoff), as well as in response to global change factors like elevated CO2 and N. Despite the enormous importance of roots and rhizomes in acquiring soil re- sources and responding to global change, construction costs have been studied almost exclusively in leaves. We sought to determine how construction costs of aboveground and belowground organs differed between native and introduced lineages of a geographically widely dispersed wetland plant species (Phragmites australis) under varying levels …

Lichens Of Six Vernal Pools In Acadia National Park, Me, Usa, J. Barton, B. Ciccotelli, J. E. Gall, F. C. Olday, B. Connery, T. B. Harris, A. M. Fryday, Nishanta Rajakaruna

Faculty Publications, Biological Sciences

Whereas lichen-habitat relations have been well-documented globally, literature on lichens of vernal pools is scant. We surveyed six vernal pools at Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island, Maine, USA for their lichen diversity. Sixty-seven species were identified, including seven species that are new reports for Acadia National Park: Fuscidea arboricola, Hypogymnia incurvoides, Lepraria finkii, Phaeographis inusta, Ropalospora viridis, Usnea flammea, and Violella fucata. Five species are considered uncommon or only locally common in New England: Everniastrum catawbiense, Hypogymnia krogiae, Pseudevernia cladonia, Usnea flammea, and Usnea merrillii. This work represents the first survey of lichens from vernal pools in Acadia …

Bacon's Swamp- Ghost Of A Central Indiana Natural Area Past, Rebecca W. Dolan

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Bacon’s Swamp was identified in the 1920s as a ca. 12 ha glacial kettle lake bog system at the southernmost limits of these habitats in Indiana. Located just 9.6 km from the center of Indianapolis, the site was all but destroyed in the mid-20th century by urban expansion. Prior to habitat conversion at the site, Bacon’s Swamp was a frequent location for Butler University ecology class field trips and student research projects. Herbarium specimens and published inventory records allow for analysis of the historical vegetation of Bacon’s Swamp using modern techniques. Floristic Quality Assessment applied to these historical records reveals …

Solid-Phase Organic Matter Reduction Regulates Anaerobic Decomposition In Bog Soil, Jason K. Keller, Kimberly K. Takagi

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Peatlands store globally significant amounts of carbon and are important sources of the greenhouse gas methane (CH4) to the atmosphere. However, for reasons which are not well understood, many peatland soils produce smaller amounts of CH4 than theoretically predicted, and carbon dioxide (CO2) produced during anaerobic decomposition in peatland soils cannot be accounted for by commonly measured microbial processes. Here we show that the reduction of solid-phase organic matter (i.e., humic substances) suppresses CH4 production in a bog soil and can be responsible for 33–61% of the total carbon mineralization in this soil. These results demonstrate that the reduction of …

Increased Variability Of Microbial Communities In Restored Salt Marshes Nearly 30 Years After Tidal Flow Restoration, Anne E. Bernhard, David Marshall, Lazaros Yiannos

Biology Faculty Publications

We analyzed microbial diversity and community composition from four salt marsh sites that were impounded for 40–50 years and subsequently restored and four unimpounded sites in southeastern Connecticut over one growing season. Community composition and diversity were assessed by terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (TRFLP) and sequence analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes. Our results indicated diverse communities, with sequences representing 14 different bacterial divisions. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Planctomycetes dominated clone libraries from both restored and unimpounded sites. Multivariate analysis of the TRFLP data suggest significant site, sample date, and restoration status effects, but the exact causes of these …

Evalution Of The Efficacy Of The Photosystem Ii Inhibitor Dcmu In Periphyton And Its Effects On Nontarget Microorganisms And Extracellular Enzymatic Reactions, Steven N. Francoeur, Audrey C. Johnson, Kevin A. Kuehn, Robert K. Neely

Faculty Publications

We examined the efficacy of the photosystem II inhibitor 3-(3,4-diclorophenyl)-1,1-dimethyl urea (DCMU) for inhibition of algal photosynthesis in periphyton associated with submerged decomposing litter of Typha angustifolia. We also investigated the possible nontarget effects of DCMU exposure on heterotrophic microorganisms (i.e., bacteria and fungi) and extracellular enzyme activity associated with decaying litter. Standing-dead Typha leaf litter was submerged for 34 and 73 d, returned to the laboratory, and used for controlled laboratory experiments that examined the effect of DCMU on algal ([¹⁴C]bicarbonate, pulse-amplitude modulated fluorometry), bacterial ([³H]leucine), and fungal ([¹⁴C]acetate) production. Simultaneous assays …

Hydrologic Events And Water Quality In The Pigeon River, Ottawa County, Michigan, Neil W. Macdonald, Richard R. Rediske, Jonathan E. Van Denend

Peer Reviewed Publications

The Pigeon River drains a 16,765-ha agricultural watershed in western Ottawa County, Michigan and discharges into south-central Lake Michigan. Extensive areas of wetlands in the upper watershed were drained in the 1920s, causing significantly altered hydrology characteristics by flashy discharges during storms and periods of snowmelt. We studied stream chemistry and hydrology for a four-year period between September, 1996, and October, 2000, to determine water quality status, to estimate annual nutrient exports, and to evaluate the effects of different seasonal flow types. Results of our study confirmed that the upper reaches of the Pigeon River experience chronically degraded water quality, …