Optimizing oyster reef restoration success
Oyster reefs once provided the foundation of coastal habitats along the U.S. Atlantic coast, but overfishing, disease, and nutrient pollution have caused declines in oyster populations to a margin of their historic extent. Such losses spurred widespread oyster restoration and management efforts, yet many projects still fail and there is not scientific consensus on the most effective restoration methods. I am using meta-analysis and long term data collected by The Nature Conservancy to relate environmental data collected at multiple spatial scales to measures of oyster persistence and survival.
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In what contexts do resident species resist or assist range-expanding species?
Species are shifting their ranges to higher latitudes with increasing global temperatures. As species move towards the poles, novel interactions with resident species can influence species range limits and establishment success. I am interested in understanding the contexts in which resident species either resist or assist range-expanding species, using black mangrove expansion into Florida's coastal salt marshes as a model system. In particular, I examine how abiotic factors (e.g., the tidal regime) and biotic factors (e.g., vegetation structure) interact to directly and indirectly affect biotic interactions.
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Eradicating invasive species with floodplain restoration
I am working with Dr. Linsey Haram and the UGA State Botanical Garden of Georgia to assess the effectiveness of different restoration techniques to eradicate invasive species in floodplain ecosystems. We are using a field experiment and survey to determine which combination of restoration technique and application frequency is most effective in removing Japanese stiltgrass from Piedmont floodplains. Garden practitioners will use these results to inform their stiltgrass removal strategy in the State Botanical Garden of Georgia.
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