BRC-BIO: Diverse Undergraduate Research Students in Ecology (DURSiE)

Moravian University, Bethlehem PA

Investigators

Abstract

Barrier islands are vulnerable to storm erosion, sediment loss, and sea level rise, which have all increased during the past decades. Sand naturally moves on islands from wind, waves, and tides, while plants hold sand in place. Typically, grasses have higher tolerance to salt and sand burial whereas many trees and shrubs are more likely to die with exposure. Recently, however, salt sensitive shrubs have expanded into coastal grasslands and may be benefiting from a relationship with a fungus that minimizes salt uptake in some conditions. Islands become more vulnerable when shrubs replace grasses because shrubs resist erosion and thus impede the natural migration of islands leading to island fragmentation. Without barrier islands, the mainland would be at the forefront of coastal storms potentially leading to greater loss of life and property. In this study, storm events will be simulated through exposing shrubs to salty conditions and burial. Shrub roots will be analyzed for the presence and extent of fungus infection and root and shoot growth will be measured. Determining the constraints on shrub expansion into grasslands is necessary to predict and manage the future of barrier islands. Broader impacts of the research include training a diverse cadre of students via field research experiences and through course-based research in a Botany course. Research students will also serve as role models while engaging younger students at local middle schools in Pennsylvania to learn about the impacts of climate change. Woody plant encroachment into grasslands has rapidly increased worldwide; however, this is particularly detrimental on barrier islands, where vegetation type contributes to the structure and function of the ecosystem. On Virginia barrier islands, the native shrub, Morella cerifera is encroaching into grasslands due in part to changes in the abiotic environment. A knowledge gap remains about how plant composition, functional traits of grasses and shrubs, and mycorrhizal relationships change with disturbance. This project will combine field surveys, field experiments, and greenhouse experiments to investigate 1) the distribution of M. cerifera and grasses change along a transitional gradient, 2) the impact of accelerated disturbance on the functional traits of grasses and M. cerifera, and 3) the impact of accelerated disturbance on mycorrhizal colonization of grasses and M. cerifera. By better understanding how ecological communities will respond to and drive environmental change, this project can help coastal land managers better predict and manage the future of barrier islands. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.