Together with Kevin McCluney’s lab ( https://blogs.bgsu.edu/mccluneylab/), we are exploring nutrient removal by wetland vegetation in two complementary grant-funded projects:
1) As a part of H2Ohio (Governor DeWine’s efforts to improve water quality of Lake Erie, https://h2.ohio.gov/), we are monitoring nutrient capture by plants in multiple wetlands. To determine how much nitrogen and phosphorus is being absorbed by vegetation, we sample wetlands for species present, biomass above and below ground, and the concentrations of these nutrients in plants.
2) To help understand why certain plants are sequestering more nutrients than others, we are also studying functional traits, i.e. the variations in plant characteristics that influence nutrient deposition in sediments, nutrient uptake, storage, and resorption during senescence, and biogeochemical composition of plant tissues. These studies, in collaboration with Steve Hovick of Ohio State University (https://eeob.osu.edu/people/hovick.2), and funded by an Ohio Department of Higher Education Harmful Algal Bloom Research Initiative grant, will help inform management practices in design and maintenance of wetlands restored or created for nutrient mitigation.
