Wetland restoration on retired cranberry bogs
University of Connecticut
I am interested in the plant community and nitrogen dynamics in retired cranberry bogs that are restored to wetlands in southeast Massachusetts. The cranberry industry in MA is declining, and the bogs are being restored, and we hope to use our science to help inform management decisions. We are conducting a seed bank study to determine how much the seed bank contributes to the post-restoration vegetation and how long wetland seeds remain viable in the sediment of sites that are altered for agriculture. We are also studying how small changes in elevation on the restored floodplain impact the species that establish. We also aim to better understand how restoring retired cranberry farms can impact water quality and begin to link plant communities with denitrification potential in the wetlands.
University of Connecticut
I am interested in the plant community and nitrogen dynamics in retired cranberry bogs that are restored to wetlands in southeast Massachusetts. The cranberry industry in MA is declining, and the bogs are being restored, and we hope to use our science to help inform management decisions. We are conducting a seed bank study to determine how much the seed bank contributes to the post-restoration vegetation and how long wetland seeds remain viable in the sediment of sites that are altered for agriculture. We are also studying how small changes in elevation on the restored floodplain impact the species that establish. We also aim to better understand how restoring retired cranberry farms can impact water quality and begin to link plant communities with denitrification potential in the wetlands.
Above and below-ground impacts of Rhamnus cathartica (European buckthorn)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
We used field and greenhouse experiments to investigate the above and below ground effects of Rhamnus cathartica, an invasive shrub, on native herbaceous species in the forest understory in southern Wisconsin. In the field, we used a factorial design to grow four native species in invaded and uninvaded areas, with shade from buckthorn present, removed, or simulated. We found evidence of a weak belowground effect that was separate from buckthorn’s shading effect.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
We used field and greenhouse experiments to investigate the above and below ground effects of Rhamnus cathartica, an invasive shrub, on native herbaceous species in the forest understory in southern Wisconsin. In the field, we used a factorial design to grow four native species in invaded and uninvaded areas, with shade from buckthorn present, removed, or simulated. We found evidence of a weak belowground effect that was separate from buckthorn’s shading effect.