 Cherry Lab members, Abbey Griffin Wood (left) and Erin Smyth (right). Congratulations to graduate students Abbey Griffin Wood and Erin Smyth, both of whom successfully defended their thesis research today. Pandemic-caused lab closures couldn't stop these two!
Abbey's thesis research was a mesocosm experiment comparing the effects of nutrient loading on biological contributions to elevation change in vegetated sods collected from natural and constructed marshes along the Fowl River in south Alabama. Erin's thesis research was a field study comparing biological structure, organic matter decomposition, and carbon stocks in a natural and two constructed tidal marshes along the Fowl River in south Alabama. Both of their studies are part of the CRIMSON project in the Cherry and Mortazavi Labs at UA. Congratulations to Cherry Lab member, Amelie Lagarde, who graduated from UA with her B.S. in Environmental Engineering. She will begin her M.S. in Coastal and Ecological Engineering at LSU this fall. Good luck, Amelie, and Roll Tide forever!  Cherry Lab member, Amelie Lagarde, celebrates graduation. A new paper by Lorae' Simpson and her co-authors, Julia Cherry, Catherine Lovelock, and Candy Feller, was published online today in Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. The paper describes the effects of nutrient enrichment on organic matter decomposition in a saltmarsh-mangrove ecotone in Florida.
Congratulations to Abbey Griffin Wood and Erin Smyth on their poster presentations at the Alabama Water Institute's Research Symposium today. They shared findings from their thesis research with other water researchers from across the state.
The Cherry Lab was well-represented this week at the 25th Biennial CERF Conference in Mobile, AL. Erin Smyth presented a poster on carbon storage and decomposition dynamics in natural and constructed tidal marshes, while Dr. Lorae' Simpson gave a talk about decomposition rates in a saltmarsh-mangrove ecotone in Florida. Dr. Cherry presented new information on shifts in microbial and plant communities along a coastal transition in coastal Mississippi, and how those shifts correspond to changes in ecosystem functions. Members of the lab also co-authored work with colleagues in other groups, making this CERF meeting a particularly productive one for the team!
Graduate assistantships in coastal wetland ecology are available in the Cherry Lab in the Department of Biological Sciences beginning in May or August of 2020. Highly motivated students with experience in field ecology, environmental science or related fields are invited to apply to participate in research projects examining the structural and functional outcomes of coastal restoration and the responses of Gulf Coast tidal marshes to sea-level rise and other environmental changes. Students pursuing a Ph.D. are preferred, although opportunities are available for M.S. students as well. Click here for more information.
This past week, Dr. Lorae’ Simpson was in the field in Belize with collaborators, Steve Canty (Smithsonian Marine Conservation program), Dr. Michael Steinberg and Jordan Cissell (University of Alabama), to start work on a new research project. They were working with the Toledo Institute for Development and Environment (TIDE), an in-country partner, surveying cays that serve as bird rookies. The group collected soil and vegetation samples and mapped mangrove and seagrass beds in an attempt to better understand how bird rookeries alter mangrove structure and sediment dynamics in ways that may lead to changes in cay viability.  Members of the UA, Smithsonian, and TIDE collaborative team in Belize.
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Cherry Lab News & AccomplishmentsHighlighting events and recognizing achievements of Cherry Lab members. Archives
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