Constructed wetlands have been used effectively to reduce the mass loads of organic and nutrient components from swine anaerobic lagoons. Continuous marsh wetlands with gentle slope and intermittent flows seem to be the best for promoting oxidation and minimizing ammonia volatilization. However, the pond section of the marsh-pond-marsh section could potentially be effectively aerated by mechani...

During summer 1976, a study of habitat selection by the red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus, was conducted. Mentor Marsh near Mentor, Ohio was chosen because of its unique geologic and botanical history. A swamp forest prior to 1959, the area is now a marsh composed of Typha latifolia, T. angustifolia, and Phragmites australis. Preferences of A. phoeniceus for each of these plants were in...

Salt marsh habitat loss to vegetation die-offs has accelerated throughout the western Atlantic in the last four decades. Recent studies have suggested that eutrophication, pollution and/or disease may contribute to the loss of marsh habitat. In light of recent evidence that predators are important determinants of marsh health in New England, we performed a total predator exclusion experiment. H...

Uncontrolled releases of Tigris and Euphrates River waters after the 2003 war have partially restored some former marsh areas in southern Iraq, but restoration is failing in others because of high soil and water salinities. Nearly 20% of the original 15,000-square-kilometer marsh area was reflooded by March 2004, but the extent of marsh restoration is unknown. High-quality water, nonsaline soil...

Many species are expanding their distributions to higher latitudes due to global warming. Understanding the mechanisms underlying these distribution shifts is critical for better understanding the impacts of climate changes. The climate envelope approach is widely used to model and predict species distribution shifts with changing climates. Biotic interactions between species, however, may also...

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill affected hundreds of kilometers of coastal wetland shorelines, including salt marshes with persistent heavy oiling that required intensive shoreline "cleanup" treatment. Oiled marsh treatment involves a delicate balance among: removing oil, speeding the degradation of remaining oil, protecting wildlife, fostering habitat recovery, and not causing further ecologic...

The ability of coastal wetlands to keep pace with sea-level rise through vertical accretion and transgression onto adjacent upslope habitats was examined for the following coastal habitats in the southeastern United States: low salt marsh, high salt marsh, brackish marsh, and mangrove forests (fringe, basin, and overwash islands). The relationship between vertical accretion and soil elevation c...

For the past decade, salt marsh management in Florida has been a central issue in attempts to reconcile mosquito control and natural resource interests. Progress has been made in trying to maintain effective mosquito control while protecting and enhancing salt marsh resources primarily due to: 1) efforts by the Florida Coordinating Council on Mosquito Control and its Subcommittee on Managed Mar...

Unintended changes in plant physiology, anatomy and metabolism as a result of genetic engineering are a concern as more transgenic plants are commercially deployed in the ecosystem. We compared the cell wall chemical composition of three Populus lines (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & A. Gray x Populus trichocarpa Bartr. ex Marsh., Populus trichocarpa x Populus nigra L. and Populus deltoides x Popul...