Project Descriptions

Project A. Investigating people's ideas about ecosystems. Mentors: Drs. Alan R. Berkowitz, Peter M. Groffman, and Cindy Hmelo-Silver (Rutgers University). One or two students.

Understanding ecosystems is increasingly vital for decision making and citizenship, yet ecosystem literacy still eludes the educators and the public. The Cary Institute's Ecosystem Literacy Initiative is developing a "language" of ecosystems for the public - a way of thinking about and understanding the ecosystems we depend upon - that people can use in their day to day lives. To help guide this effort, we are studying how people think about and come to understand ecosystems. In the Earthworms and Ecosystems project, we are developing an educational web-based resource on the ecological roles of worms. The goal is to build on the public's general interest in earthworms and willingness to think about their effects on ecosystems. Research can be designed by the student(s) to reveal what different groups of people know, or think they know, about the ecology of earthworms and to discover where their understandings came from. In the Changing Hudson project, web-based resources for students and teachers are focusing on how the Hudson ecosystem changes over time and in response to human and other disturbances. Student research can explore the different ways people view and evaluate change in river ecosystems. The REU students will have access to a diversity of groups for interviews, focus group discussions, and/or surveys. This research will make a useful contribution to our understanding of how people develop ideas about ecosystems, and will give the student experience in social science research linked to biological inquiry.

Project B. What, if anything, controls tick populations and Lyme disease risk? Mentors: Drs. Richard S. Ostfeld and Felicia Keesing. One or two students.

The blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis, is the vector of Lyme disease and other diseases of humans and wildlife in eastern North America. Ticks can be extremely abundant, exacerbating disease risk, but their abundance varies through time and across space. Understanding the causes of this dramatic variation in tick abundance and disease risk is essential for disease prevention and management. Ticks are vulnerable to several natural enemies, including predators (e.g., salamanders), pathogens (e.g. fungi), and even their vertebrate hosts, which can kill ticks while grooming. Some of these natural enemies might be influenced strongly by abiotic factors, such as precipitation and temperature. The student(s) will be guided in developing a research project addressed at understanding biotic and abiotic interactions important in regulating tick populations.

Project C. Ecological functions of Hudson River marshes, shallows and tributaries. Mentor: Dr. Stuart E.G. Findlay. One student.

The Hudson River has a large number of diverse tidal wetlands along its shores and important vegetated shallow areas. In many cases tributaries deliver their loads of nutrients and sediment into these wetlands and shallows. Although a few sites and streams have been studied extensively there is not a general understanding of how these marshes and littoral areas contribute to food webs, serve as habitat or modify water chemistry. There are connections between land use, human population and stream water quality but the actual mechanisms are unknown. Depending on the interests of the student, simple measurements for determining functions of wetlands on vegetated shallows could be applied to a range of sites. Assessment tools have already been developed for several wetland functions including nutrient removal, tidal energy dissipation and provision of several types of habitat. Some of these tools have been field-tested while others still require verification. This project would introduce the student to the diversity of wetlands, streams and shallow habitats in the Hudson Valley and teach valuable field techniques.

Project D. Ecosystem response to an introduced pest in a hemlock forest Mentors: Drs. Shannon LaDeau and Gary M. Lovett. One or two students.

Hemlock trees are widespread in the eastern U.S. and are an important component of mature forests. These majestic trees are under attack by an invasive Asian insect called the hemlock woolly adelgid, which is causing hemlock mortality throughout the eastern U.S. and has begun to affect forests at the Cary Institute. In this project, students will do field and laboratory research on the response of hemlock stands to infestation by this insect, potentially including studies of the insect and tree populations, seedling demography, soil chemistry and nutrient cycling.

Project E. Flow related variations in the chemistry of Wappinger Creek at the Cary Institute. Mentor: Dr. William H. Schlesinger. One student.

The student will engage in intensive sampling of a local stream, passing through the Institute's grounds, that is experiencing periodic overflow from the sewage treatment plant in the Village of Millbrook. Analysis of major chemical constituents (e.g., Ca, Mg) as well as nutrient elements (e.g., nitrate) will allow us to ascertain the frequency and magnitude of the sewage overflow events. The project will help determine whether the Village needs to upgrade its water treatment facility and indicate the extent to which continued point-source pollution of local waterways is responsible for elevated nitrate concentrations in regional surface waters leading to the Hudson River.

Project F. Microbial processes in urban ecosystems. Mentor: Dr. Peter M. Groffman. One student.

The maintenance of "natural" microbial nutrient cycling processes in urban ecosystems is important to the functioning of these systems. This student can participate in several different projects that are part of the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES), a long-term study of Baltimore, Maryland, including: the effects of exotic species on soil nutrient cycling processes, microbial processes in urban riparian forests and nutrient cycling in forest, agricultural and residential areas within the city.

Project G. Elevational fluctuations in stream-connectivity for hydrology and biology within the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH. Mentor: Dr. Gene E. Likens. One student.

Soil wetness and streamflow dynamics vary seasonally and episodically within the Experimental Watersheds of the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, NH. How does the transport of chemicals and habitat for stream organisms fluctuate according to these hydrologic changes? This question will be evaluated with real-time samples of stream water and stream-bed components as the system dries down and wets up following rain events.

Project H. Terrestrial salamanders in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest. Mentor: Dr. Gene E. Likens. One student.

Studies of terrestrial salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) have been ongoing in the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest since the early 1970s. Currently the population size of these salamanders is about 30% as large as it was in 1970. This study will focus on the role of changes in the forest understory and the forest floor on the welfare of terrestrial salamanders at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest.

Project I. Predator-prey relationships and ecological impacts of the invasive mitten crab (Eriocheir sinensis). Mentors: Drs. David L. Strayer and Stuart E.G. Findlay. One student.

The Chinese mitten crab has been introduced around the world, and recently appeared in the Hudson River estuary. Although this species can become very abundant, and is an aggressive and adaptable omnivore, its ecological impacts are poorly understood. The student will examine how the mitten crab might affect prey populations or food webs in Hudson River marshes.

Project J. Urban carbon budgets and urban forests as carbon sinks. Mentors: Drs. Terry Loecke and Peter M. Groffman. One student.

On a per-capita basis, urban citizens consume less fossil fuel energy and emit less CO2 into the atmosphere than their rural counterparts. At the same time, rural peoples' management of C sinks is more noticeable than urbanites, through outdoor recreational, agricultural, and forestry activities. The extent to which urban ecosystems (e.g., parks, lawns, forests, and gardens) act as C sinks and thus their ability to mitigate CO2 related climate change is less well understood. This student will work to quantify a C budget for the Baltimore, MD metropolitan area or study the biogeochemical controls on C cycling in Baltimore urban forests.

Project K. Ecological perspectives on managing forests for sustained yield: insights from a model. Mentor: Dr. Charles D. Canham. One student.

Much of the ecological literature on forest management has focused on ways to minimize the environmental impact of harvesting forests. There has been much less attention paid to ways to use ecological theory to improve the yield of managed forests. This will be a particularly important issue as both governments and landowners look to forests as a source of renewable energy (both liquid and solid fuels). While many of the biofuel scenarios envision use of high yielding plantations of monocultures, there are alternative scenarios that would manage for specific mixtures of native tree species that could, theoretically at least, have high yield while also providing other ecosystem services. The student will use a spatially-explicit simulation model (SORTIE-ND, www.sortie-nd.org) to identify and explore the long-term consequences of alternate management scenarios for northeastern forests. There is no field component to the project - just lots of time in front of a computer.

Project L. Songbird behavioral ecology: How do veeries use their songs for mate choice and territory defense? Mentors: Drs. Kara L. Belinsky and Kenneth A. Schmidt. One student.

Veeries are one of many species of songbirds that migrate from the neotropics to sing and breed in the forests of North America every summer. Each species of songbird uses a species-specific repertoire of songs and other vocalizations (calls) to communicate. During the breeding season, most songbirds use their vocalizations to choose their mates and defend the territories in which they breed. Veeries have eerily beautiful and unusually complex songs in addition to a large repertoire of calls. As an REU student, you will design and carry out a project exploring one or more aspects of veery communication; for example, how males use their calls during territorial disputes with neighboring males, or how predators on adults (owls ) or nests (chipmunks) affect veery singing behavior. For your project you can expect to observe veery behavior and record veery vocalizations in the field, and catalogue and analyze your recordings in the lab. In addition, you will also have the opportunity to work with our team of graduate students and field assistants to capture and color-band veeries and find veery nests.

Project M. The social ecology of vacant lots in Baltimore, Maryland. Mentors: Dr. Steward T.A. Pickett. One student.

Vacant lots, sometimes managed, and sometimes not, are common habitats in many urban ecosystems. In collaboration with co-mentors, social scientist Morgan Grove of the USDA Forest Service and environmental economist Austin Troy of the University of Vermont, the student will address the question, "What are the characteristics of vacant lots throughout the City of Baltimore, and what social and economic factors relate to the presence and characteristics of those lots?" The project provides the opportunity for interdisciplinary work including assessment of plant community structure in the field, socio-economic analysis, and spatial analysis. The successful student should be interested to conduct fieldwork in a city, and to interact productively with a dispersed set of mentors representing different disciplines. The project will involve travel to Baltimore, MD and to Burlington, VT.