Research Index
Current Projects
Saltmarsh and Seagrass Restoration
It is estimated that three-quarters of the nation's marine harvestable species are at some point in their life cycles dependent on estuarine habitats for food and shelter or as migratory routes and spawning grounds. Saltmarsh and seagrass are known to provide important vegetated habitats for many species of fish and invertebrates, some of which are of commercial and/or recreational importance, as well as for many types of wading birds and endangered species, such as manatees and sea turtles. Additionally these habitats may help to protect coral reefs by binding sediments, cleaning coastal waters and providing coastal defense from erosion. Saltmarshes and seagrass meadows, however, are declining worldwide, with 73% of the nation's estuaries moderately or severely degraded between 1940 and 1983, and 15% of global seagrass meadows lost in the last 10 years. This is primarily due to human-induced disturbances: runoff of nutrients and sediments from human activities on land, boating, land reclamation and other construction in the coastal zone, dredge-and-fill activities and destructive fisheries practices. The loss of these valuable habitats gives urgency to protect and conserve these important resources. Seagrass and saltmarsh restoration efforts are on the increase. However, the costs of restoration programs are often very high and, unfortunately, there are as many failures as there are successes. Therefore strategies need to be developed to increase the success rate of restoration projects.
A Pilot Study to Develop Quantitative Marsh Function Assessment Measures in Various Restoration Projects Being Planned along the Mississippi Gulf Coast
The Diversity and Role of Root-Associated Fungi in Saltmarsh and Seagrass Plants and Implications for Restoration Success
Bioremediation
Environmental Screening for Dehalococcoides in Polluted Waterways
Phylogenetic Studies
Evolutionary Relationships Among Aquatic anamorphs and teleomorphs II:
Tricladium and Varicosporium
A Reevaluation of Jahnulales: Relationships Based on 18S and 28S rDNA
Molecular Analysis of Melanospora and Related Genera
Systematics of the Tanaidacea
The Gammuras mucronatus (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) Species Complex in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Ecophenotypic Variants or Distinct Species?
