2009 LTER All Scientists Meeting - Estuarine Ecology

The Virginia Coast Reserve Long-Term Ecological Research Project

John Porter — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 17:27:27 +0000

Poster Number:

330

Presenter/Primary Author:

Karen McGlathery

Co-Authors:

Patricia Wiberg

Co-Authors:

John Porter

The Virginia Coast Reserve (VCR) is an extremely dynamic, heterogeneous coastal barrier landscape comprising mainland watersheds, tidal marshes, lagoons, and barrier islands. Our goal for the VCR LTER program is to develop a predictive understanding of the response of coastal barrier systems to long-term environmental changes in climate, sea level and land use, and to relate these to the ecological services the coastal barrier systems provide.

Understanding and mapping plant distributions surrounding marsh hammocks within the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER

Christine Hladik — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:28:20 +0000

Poster Number:

320

Presenter/Primary Author:

Christine Hladik

Co-Authors:

Alana Lynes

Co-Authors:

Chester Jackson

Co-Authors:

Merryl Alber

Co-Authors:

Clark Alexander

Co-Authors:

Steve Pennings

Accurate habitat mapping in salt marshes is important for both management and conservation goals, as it provides information essential for identifying sensitive areas and documenting changes over time as the result of sea level rise or human perturbations. The goal of this study is to characterize patterns of marsh plant distribution in the salt marshes surrounding back barrier islands (hammocks) within the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems LTER. In the summer of 2007 the GCE LTER surveyed over 50 hammocks of different origin and size.

Student Poster:

Yes

An ongoing field experiment to test if zonation of tidal marsh vegetation is in synchrony with hydrologic conditions developed during rising sea level

John Haywood — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 21:54:36 +0000

Poster Number:

251

Presenter/Primary Author:

John Haywood

Co-Authors:

Linda Blum

Co-Authors:

Mark Brinson

Co-Authors:

Robert Christian

A field experiment has been initiated in August 2008 to determine if the vegetation of a coastal marsh is in synchrony with hydrologic conditions that have developed with rising sea-level. The hypothesis being tested is that plant community structure will persist in existing zones of vegetation in the face of sea-level rise unless disturbance provides opportunities for species change under more frequent tidal inundation.

Student Poster:

Yes

Cross-Site Working Group on Coupled Human-Natural Systems

Craig Harris — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:38:27 +0000

Final Report (Required, .pdf format only) :

Cross-Site Working Group on Coupled Human-Natural Systems Final Report

Organizer:

William Freudenburg

Co-organizer(s):

Craig Harris

This session is intended both for social and biophysical scientists who want to help develop a proposal for the kind of “multi-site, highly collaborative and integrated research initiative” envisioned by the LTER planning group. The focus will be on what the LTER planning process calls the “centerpiece” of the group's conceptual framework, as well as one of “Grand Challenges” to be addressed at the network level – “the dynamics of coupled human-natural ecosystems.”

Preferred Dates:

Sept. 14

Working Group Duration:

Session Info

Session(s):

Working Group Session 5

Room:

Reusch Auditorium Sweet

Official Participants

Additional Participants:

"Craig Harris" <Craig.Harris@SSC.MSU.EDU>, Victor Thompson <thompson.2042@osu.edu>, John Turck <jaturck@#uga.edu>, Hannah Gosnell <gosnellh@geo.oregonstate.edu>, Sharon Hall <sharonjhall@asu.edu>, Abigail York <abigail.york@asu.edu>, Jim Gosz <jgosz@uidaho.edu>, "Wm. R. Freudenburg" <freudenburg@es.ucsb.edu>

Dry season dynamics of flocculent detrital material in a mangrove river: A stable isotope approach

Greg Losada — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:20:55 +0000

Poster Number:

Presenter/Primary Author:

Greg Losada

Co-Authors:

Dr. Daniel L. Childers

Co-Authors:

Dr. William T. Anderson

This study was conducted in Taylor River in the southern mangrove ecotone region of Taylor Slough in the Florida Everglades between two FCE-LTER water quality observation stations. This system is characterized by a series of interconnected creeks and ponds that make up the larger Taylor River. During wet season months from June to November, there is a distinct freshwater input to the mangrove estuary from the north, which essentially “flushes” most of the river and lowers salinity to less than 1 ppt.

Student Poster:

Yes

Population Structure and Dynamics of Natural and Restored Eelgrass Meadows in the Virginia Coast Reserve

Laura Reynolds — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:39:40 +0000

Poster Number:

Presenter/Primary Author:

Laura Reynolds

Co-Authors:

Karen J. McGlathery

Co-Authors:

Michelle Waycott

Co-Authors:

Joseph C. Zieman

A pandemic wasting disease coupled with a destructive hurricane in the1930s, caused the local extinction of eelgrass (Zostera marina) in the Virginia coastal bays. Small patches of naturally-recruited seagrass were noticed in the late 1990s, prompting a large-scale restoration effort using seeds from nearby Chesapeake Bay. Restored meadows are currently thriving and expanding; however, there is a concern about the genetic structure of these meadows.

Student Poster:

Yes