Main Content Area
Research Experiences for Undergraduates in
CONVERGENCE ECOLOGY
at Southern Illinois University
This NSF-funded Site REU offers a diverse array of research opportunities resulting from an extraordinary combination of ecological focal areas and ecological processes studied by Center for Ecology faculty members in southern Illinois, a distinctive physiogeographic region where prairie, forest, wetland, floodplain, and river systems converge.
The 10-week REU summer program in Convergence Ecology will immerse students in activities aimed to foster:
- hands-on scientific inquiry [from observation through conclusion] through research,
- development of a diverse ecological skills-set through guided quantitative field and laboratory methods,
- comprehension of and confidence in communicating science,
- a broad awareness of ecological science through weekly seminars, and
- an appreciation and better understanding of biodiversity [to include human culture] through educational field trips.
The REU summer program will culminate with The Colloquium of Undergraduate Research in Ecology (The CURE), a symposium of oral presentations delivered by SIU REU students, Center for Ecology Interns, McNair Scholars, and other undergraduate researchers at SIU.
CLICK HERE TO APPLY!
Center for Ecology REU Faculty Mentors:
Sara G. Baer http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/Faculty/Baer/index.html
Human decisions in the ecological restoration process can impose novel filters on the development of plant communities. Multiple field experiments are available to research the ecological of consequences of plant sources (variation within species) and re-introduced composition of species (variation among species) in restorations. Projects will be designed to yield insights into mechanisms by which plant sources or restored community composition influence belowground processes.
Example REU research questions:
- Does variation in restored plant community structure differentially affect transformation rates and availability of nitrogen in soil?
- Do regional plant ecotypes differentially affect soil carbon accrual through variation in root quantity and/or quality?
Marjorie L. Brooks http://www.zoology.siu.edu/people/brooks.html
Global warming and increasing pollutant exposure pose great risks to aquatic animal populations. Oxygen demand by ectotherms depends on metabolic rate, which rises with increasing temperature and when animals detoxify or eliminate chronic pollutants. Higher temperatures may aggravate contaminant effects by increasing ventilation and feeding rates, causing faster pollutant uptake. Then again, when pollutants increase their metabolism, invertebrates and fish may begin suffocating in warm water that contains less oxygen. It is critically important to identify how multiple stressors can interact to push animals into negative energy balance?the point where they cannot grow and reproduce normally?which profoundly affects their population viability in a rapidly changing world.?
Example REU research questions:?????????????????????
- How do different animal species grow and reproduce under sublethal warming and metals stress (interspecifically conserved physiologic responses)?
- Will organisms raised under chronic metals stress be more tolerant to 2 to 4oC warmer temperatures (intraspecific phenotypic plasticity)?
Da Chen http://wildlife.siu.edu/faculty/DaChen.html
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are commonly added to thermoplastics, textiles, and coatings to reduce their flammability. As most BFRs are not chemically bound to the finished products, a fraction may escape throughout the production life cycle and enter the environment. Some widely used BFRs have generated concern due to their persistence in the environments. Ecological factors such as diet and habitat (terrestrial vs. aquatic) likely play a role in influencing avian exposure to BFRs. Individual dietary preference may lead to inter-individual or inter-population exposure variations within species.
Example REU research questions:
- Do BFR contamination patterns (e.g., substance types and abundances) differ between terrestrial peregrines and aquatic ospreys?
- Do diet shifts affect contamination patterns within species?
Leslie A. Duram http://www.geography.siu.edu/faculty/Duram.html http://www.environmentalstudies.siu.edu
Increasing concerns about our global food system have led to the development of a variety of alternative food networks (AFNs). Human decision making within the context of sustainability is a critical component of rapidly developing AFNs, particularly farmers? markets, farm stands, and CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture with membership shares). REU students will be involved in service learning activities in our region and research will employ a combination of qualitative and quantitative social science survey methods to predict environmental impacts.
Example REU research questions:
- How do farmers learn about local food issues and tailor their production to specific local demands?
- What farmer decisions/actions have a direct impact on sustainability of the region?
David J. Gibson http://www.plantbiology.siu.edu/Faculty/Gibson/index.html
The invasion of non-native plants poses a practical problem for conservation and restoration of native species in degraded ecosystems. There is a need to understand performance related functional traits of invading species in the context of biotic and abiotic filters to be able to predict the colonization and persistence of these species in plant communities. Projects will be designed to relate growth and reproduction of non-native plants to limiting processes in restored prairie and successional old-field system.
Example REU research questions:
- Which filters [abiotic or biotic] in the community assembly process affect fitness of invasive non-native species?
- Which ecological filters constrain the functional traits of invading non-native species?
Michael Eichholz http://wildlife.siu.edu/faculty/m_eicholz.html
Hydrologic modification of rivers has substantial impacts on wetlands. The Cache River in southern Illinois represents an example of how drainage efforts have degraded wetland integrity. Specifically, diversion of the channel directly to the Ohio River from its natural course to the Mississippi created 2 separate drainage basins, the Upper Cache and Lower Cache. One on-going research project is examining how differences in flow affect river productivity (e.g., emergent insect production) and ultimately abundance and nest site selection of cavity nesting birds.
Example REU research question:
- How do food availability, vegetation structure, and habitat characteristics impact nest site selection of wood ducks?
Eric J. Holzmueller http://mypage.siu.edu/eholzmue/
Oak dominated forest is the predominant forest system of Illinois and historically it was maintained by periodic, low intensity fires. Over the last century fire has been largely suppressed, resulting in the suppression of oak regeneration. Long-term field experiments indicate thinning and prescribed fire can encourage oak regeneration to perpetuate oak forests, but less is known about the impact of these management practices on herbaceous communities.
Example REU research questions:
- How do herbaceous communities (species, cover and diversity) respond to combinations of prescribed fire and thinning?
- What is the ideal fire return interval to maintain these herbaceous communities?
Clayton K. Nielsen http://www.wildlife.siuc.edu/faculty/c_nielsen.html
Habitat composition and physiognomy have profound impacts on how wildlife use, interact, survive, and reproduce in spatially-heterogeneous landscapes. Anthropogenic changes to landscapes may further mediate interactions between wildlife and habitat. Within this broad theme of wildlife-habitat relationships, REU students will participate in projects to quantify the impacts of grassland buffer zones on avian and mammalian predators in agricultural ecosystems, determine how habitat structure impacts interactions between sympatric eastern cottontails and swamp rabbits in bottomland hardwood forest ecosystems, and assess predator responses to prescribed fire in grassland ecosystems.
Example REU research questions:
- Do rabbit species exhibit negative interactions in areas of marginal habitat? Does survival differ between rabbit species, and what are the structural characteristics of the habitat that may influence this difference?
- Does turkey survival, habitat use, and nesting rates increase in grassland areas subjected to prescribed fire? Does fire attract predators to areas used by turkeys, resulting in a population sink?
Jon E. Schoonover http://www.coas.siu.edu/default2.asp?active_page_id=952
Water quality is at the forefront of environmental issues and it is imperative that agricultural producers take a proactive approach to improve management practices in anticipation of impending nutrient standards. Multiple field and watershed scale experiments are underway that examine riparian buffer?s, composed of grasses or forest vegetation, influence on water and soil quality. These projects are designed to help landowners and land managers make informative decisions when developing nutrient management plans for agricultural landscapes.
Example REU research questions include:
- How does riparian buffer design and species composition influence soil and water quality in southern Illinois agricultural systems?
- Do riparian plantings impact concentrated flow path development and in-stream channel stability?
Brian C. Small http://smalllab.siu.edu/
Estuaries are productive systems that support high biodiversity and are recognized as important nurseries for many fish species. Invasive species threaten freshwater and marine biodiversity. Understanding the salinity tolerance of Asian carp embryos is needed to evaluate the potential for populations to become established within estuarine areas as it relates to the seasonal timing and magnitude of the salinity cycles along the natural longitudinal salinity gradient.
Example REU research questions:
- At what salinity level is survival of Asian carp embryos inhibited?
- Which areas within the Atchafalaya and Mississippi deltas experience salinities below the threshold value for embryo survival during the spawning periods?
Matthew D. Therrell info.geography.siu.edu/people/therrell
The ecological impact of extreme hydroclimate events (drought and floods) on bottomland forests is not well understood in a long-term context. Research projects will use tree-ring data from both relatively intact and greatly modified wetland forest sites to study the effects of extreme hydroclimate events and human modifications (e.g., impoundment) on structural changes in the forests.
Example REU research questions:
- Have past extreme hydroclimate events or human modifications of system hydrology affected species recruitment, succession or composition of bottomland forest communities in the Cache River drainage?
- Have past extreme events interacted with human modifications to create synergistic effects on forest structure?
Matt R. Whiles http://www.zoology.siu.edu/whiles/index.html
There is increasing economic investment in stream restoration projects in the US, but many of these efforts are unfortunately not based on sound ecological principles or guided by scientific studies. Further, few projects are monitored after completion to assess success. Ongoing restoration efforts in the Cache River in southern Illinois provide opportunities for ecological assessments of past efforts and evaluation of current and proposed projects.
Example REU research questions:
- Will restoration of natural flow regimes in the Cache River channel enhance stream-riparian food web connectivity and subsidies?
- How will stream communities (e.g., invertebrates, fishes) respond to enhanced water velocities following restoration?
CLICK HERE TO APPLY!
Principal Investigators:
Clayton K. Nielson, Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory and Department of Forestry, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 618-453-6930 kezo92@siu.edu
Sara G. Baer, Department of Plant Biology, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, IL 62901 618-453-3228 sgbaer@siu.edu