Eric Hazelton, Ph.D. student at Utah State University, joined the Lab as part of the five-year, $5 million NOAA grant. Eric's focus on this project is the impact of Phragmites australis, an invasive species that threatens the sensitive coastal habitats in the Chesapeake and Delaware Bays. His project will include the impact of Phragmites removal on native vegetation and how land use patterns affect the likelihood for restoration success. 

                      
     Small Whorled--Big Mission
The Lab has joined forces with the National Park Service and the US Military to evaluate a range of ecological characteristics of Isotria medeoloides (small whorled pogonia) to develop techniques to be used to manage and reintroduce this federally threatened orchid. details

ALIEN ALERT!!! update
Will this Asian invasive earthworm threaten SERC's forest?

Tidal Freshwater Wetlands-edited by Dennis and colleagues Aat Barendregt and Andy Baldwin.
Tidal freshwater wetlands occur in the upper part of estuaries, where fresh water from the river is influenced by tides. A number of characteristic plant and animal species occur in tidal freshwater wetlands, reflecting their unique biological, chemical, and physical processes.
                                                                        overview

Recent Papers

Brooks, R.P., M.M. Brinson, K.J. Havens, C.S. Hershner, R.D. Rheinhardt, D.H. Wardrop, D.F. Whigham, A.D. Jacobs, J.M. Rubbo. 2011. Proposed hydrogeomorphic classification for wetlands of the mid-Atlantic region, USA. Wetlands 31:207-219. pdf request

Gorchov, D., E. Thompson, J. O'Neill, D. Whigham, D. Noe. 2011. Treefall gaps required for establishment, but not survival, of the invasive Rubus phoenicolasius in deciduous forest, Maryland, USA. Plant Species Biology 26:221-234. pdf request

Kettenring, K.M., M.K. McCormick, H.M. Baron, and D.F. Whigham. 2011. Mechanisms of Phragmites australis invasion: feedbacks among genetic diversity, nutrients, and sexual reproduction. Journal of Applied Ecology 48:1305–1313. pdf request

Shefferson, R.P., M.K. McCormick, D.F. Whigham, J.P. O'Neill. 2011. Life history strategy in herbaceous perennials: inferring demographic patterns from the aboveground dynamics of a primarily subterranean, myco-heterotrophic orchid. Oikos 120:1291-1300. pdf request 

McCormick, M.K., K.M. Kettenring, H.M. Baron, D.F. Whigham. 2010. Spread of invasive Phragmites australis in estuaries with differing degrees of development: genetic patterns, Allee effects, and interpretation. Journal of Ecology 98:1369-1378. pdf request

Whigham, D.F., K.M. Kettenring, M.K. McCormick, H.M. Baron. 2010. The invasion of common reed (Phragmites australis) in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Australasian Plant Conservation 18(4):17-18. pdf request