|
Gary N. Ervin gervin(at)biology.msstate.edu |
|
Mission of the ERVIN research program The overarching mission of my research program is to contribute to the understanding of how natural ecosystems affect and are affected by primary producers, and to use that understanding to enhance society’s capacity for environmental stewardship. This mission is achieved through primary research, student training, and information transfer. The research component of the mission is directed towards discovery of mechanisms influencing the distribution of plant species at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Graduate and undergraduate students contribute to the fulfillment of the research mission by designing projects to address that mission while incorporating their own individual knowledge and experiences. Thus, research takes place in a collaborative environment fostered by the belief that all parties have the capacity to contribute to the successful achievement of the mission. The ultimate outcome of our efforts is transfer of the most scientifically accurate information available to those who might make use of our findings, including the scientific community, natural resources managers, and society.
Invasive Species I am collaborating with a group of MS State scientists on a multi-year project funded by a cooperative agreement with the US Geological Survey to better understand the ecology of invasive species in the Mid-South US. This project is managed through the GeoResources Institute. My role in this project is to aid in the development of predictive models for understanding the spread of invasive species, including cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica), aquatic invasives such as hydrilla and waterhyacinth, and the invasive cactus moth, Cactoblastis cactorum, which poses a significant threat to native species of Opuntia (pricklypear cacti). Towards this end, we are collaborating with scientists at the National Wetlands Research Center, with USDA APHIS, and with other government agencies and private organizations. This project has resulted in a USDA-NRI CSREES funded invasive plant program to produce the Invasive Plant Atlas of the Mid-South (IPAMS). IPAMS is a follow-up companion to the existing Invasive Plant Atlas of New England (IPANE). Related links: MSU Cactus moth monitoring Network CONABIO (Mexico) Cactus moth information Wetlands Assessment During the summer of 2004, my research group surveyed vegetation in more than 50 wetlands across the northern half of Mississippi (from about Jackson northward). The wetlands we visited ranged from relatively unimpacted beaver pond marshes to intensively managed wetlands on Wildlife Management Areas to urban wetlands. We now are using those data to evaluate wetland health, or ecological integrity, using the Floristic Quality Assessment Index and related methods. That project resulted in several publications that can be found in my online listing. Wetland Vegetation Succession I have been collecting data on wetland vegetation from the Talladega Wetland Ecosystem since 1997 (with the exception of the 2000-2001 growing seasons). The particular site I have been studying was a beaver pond until 1995-96, when storms washed away the dam. Since then, woody species gradually have come to dominate the majority of the former pond area, with a small area remaining primarily as herbaceous plants (but with about 50% shrub/small tree cover in August of 2004). I plan to continue these surveys indefinitely as part of my broader objective of understanding plant dynamics in southeastern freshwater wetlands. More recently, I have revisited an earlier interest in plant interactions as they influence successional dynamics. This is, in part, motivation for my interest in plant invasion but also permeates other questions I presently am pursuing. Most of this work has taken place on the Ackerman Unit of the Tombigbee National Forest. A portion of this research, reporting facilitative interactions between Juncus effusus and neighbors, was published in the June 2005 issue of Wetlands (see pubs), and another is due in print in the September 2007 issue of that journal. Managed Wetlands Because so many of the wetlands remaining in Mississippi are managed, largely for wildlife, my research group has assembled an assortment of data on managed wetlands. In addition, we conducted a project during 2003 to evaluate specifically the effects of greentree reservoir management on wetland tree assemblages on the Noxubee National Wildlife Refuge. A report of that project was published in the Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society and can be found in my online listing.
|