Cherry Lab News - Julia Cherry

New Publication on Planting Mangroves for Restoration out in Restoration Ecology

2/22/2021

Salt marsh - mangrove ecotone in southern Louisiana (photo credit: Aaron Macy)

Aaron Macy has a new co-authored article out in Restoration Ecology. The paper details an experiment he conducted as part of his dissertation research. He planted nursery-raised black mangrove seedlings in filed plots with different marsh plant cover to test how marsh plants affect mangrove survival and to evaluate the effectiveness of planting mangroves to restore wetland habitat along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Based on the poor performance of transplanted mangrove seedlings, his results suggested that planting salt marsh plants may be a better option for coastal restoration efforts in Louisiana.

New Tidal Marsh Restoration Paper Published in Environmental Management

1/12/2021

Passive weir (foreground) retaining water to simulate increased inundation with sea-level rise

In a new paper released today in Environmental Management, Martin et al. describe the interactive effects of simulated sea-level rise using passive weirs and different planting densities of vegetated sods on marsh community composition and nitrogen removal capacity. The research was conducted in collaboration with colleagues at Mississippi State University and was funded by the NOAA NERRS Science Collaborative Program.

Cherry Partners with Starr and Staudhammer Labs on New Longleaf Pine Savanna Paper

11/29/2020

Former UA grad student and Starr lab member, Dr. Susi Wiesner, is lead author on a new paper out today in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. The paper details the effects of extreme temperature events (i.e., heat waves and freezes) on metabolic energy and entropy production in three longleaf pine savannas spanning a soil moisture gradient. Wiesner et al. found that energy reserves were built during periods of low precipitation and mild temperatures and that anthropogenic disturbances, like soil tillage, can slow recovery following temperature extremes.

"Longleaf pine standing tall" by USFWS Headquarters is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Nigel Temple Successfully Defends Dissertation at MSU

11/20/2020

Nigel Temple, a former M.S. student in the Cherry Lab, successfully defended his dissertation, entitled "Improving water wave measurements and understanding of its impacts on natural and restored marsh communities," at Mississippi State University today. Congratulations, Dr. Temple!

Nigel Temple and his dog, Beamer

Fieldwork on New Sea Grant Officially Underway!

10/22/2020

As part of a new Sea Grant project, Drs. Cherry and Tatariw made a recon trip to reference and restored marshes along the Mississippi-Alabama Gulf Coast in preparation for upcoming field sampling. Restored sites include living shorelines, beneficial use projects, and marshes constructed from coastal forests. At each site, we will quantify plant biomass, soil organic carbon, and denitrification as measures of ecosystem recovery following marsh creation or restoration.

Dr. Cherry examines sediment from a living shoreline in Perdido Beach, AL (photo credit: C. Tatariw)

First Paper from New Collaborative CRIMSON Project Published in Restoration Ecology

10/9/2020

A new paper out of the Cherry and Mortazavi labs has been published in Restoration Ecology. In it, Tatariw et al. compared rates of denitrification and dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA) between a natural and constructed tidal marsh. In both marshes, denitrification and DNRA rates were greatest in the upper 10 cm of marsh sediment and generally declined with increasing depth. They also found that rates were greater in the natural marsh than the constructed marsh, suggesting impartial recovery of ecosystem function after 32 years.

Example sediment core collected from a constructed marsh that is high in mineral content and low in belowground plant biomass

Mangrove Encroachment Effects on Ecosystem Carbon and Nitrogen Allocation Detailed in New Publication in Ecosystems

10/2/2020

Marsh-mangrove ecotone in coastal Louisiana (photo credit: Aaron Macy)

In a new paper in Ecosyststems, Macy et al. compared carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stocks between marsh-dominated areas and mangrove-dominated areas in a Louisiana coastal wetland. Results suggested that mangrove encroachment can increases C and N in aboveground biomass stocks, but that it may not lead to differences in belowground toot and soil stocks.

New Paper on Mangrove Encroachment and Decomposition Published in Ecosystems

9/21/2020

Black mangrove shrubs in salt marsh (photo credit: Lorae' Simpson)

In a new paper in Ecosystems, Simpson and others compared aboveground decomposition rates of Avicennia germinans (black mangrove) and Spartina alterniflora (saltmarsh cordgrass) litter, as well as belowground decay of a standard substrate, in marsh-mangrove ecotone habitats along the Atlantic Coast of Florida. Results suggested that shifts in foundation species cover with mangrove encroachment may alter decomposition dynamics and nutrient cycling through changes in litter quality.

Cherry Lab Welcomes New Grad Students

8/19/2020

Emily Fromenthal

Jake Dybiec

We are pleased to welcome Emily Fromenthal and Jake Dybiec to the team. Emily is pursuing her M.S. and plans to research plant-pollinator interactions in natural and restored wetlands along the Mississippi-Alabama coast. Jake is pursuing his Ph.D. and plans to compare climate change impacts on ecosystem functions in natural and restored wetlands.

Congratulations to Abigail Griffin Wood and Erin Smyth

6/23/2020

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.