Current Research:
Wetlands are highly threatened and there have been severe losses throughout the world. Most of the threats are from anthropogenic disturbances such as pollution, hydrologic modification and invasive species. During restoration of damaged wetlands, managers attempt to meet multiple goals, among these are supporting biodiversity and valuable ecosystem functions. My research focuses on denitrification, a valuable ecosystem service, and the effects that restoration has on this ecosystem service. Denitrification is the microbial process that converts inorganic forms of nitrogen to gaseous nitrogen that is released to the atmosphere. This service is particularly valuable because it helps reduce the eutrophication of waterways caused by human activity. The microbial process behind denitrification is well understood, however, the conditions that promote the microbial community are not. With my research I hope to discover the effect that invasive species, hydrology, and restoration have on denitrification.
