Forest Ecosystems In A Changing World
The Fernow LTREB supports the activities of seasoned researchers and trains a new generation of scientists through the Fernow Graduate Fellowship and the Fernow Undergraduate Summer Internship Programs.
The Fernow Graduate Fellows conduct their graduate research at the Fernow and help mentor our undergraduate summer interns. Currently there are two Fernow Graduate Fellows - Dave Nichols and Zach Fowler.
The Fernow Undergraduate Summer Internship Program supports 2-3 undergraduate students each year. Summer interns conduct individual research projects related to the interests of their graduate student mentors. In addition, summer interns shadow Forest Service personnel on several occasions in order to learn about life as a government scientist..
To date the Fernow Fellowship & Internship Programs have supported the training of 3 graduate students and 10 undergraduate students.
Principle Investigators
Dr. William Peterjohn - I have been on the faculty of the Biology Department at West Virginia University since 1993. Most of my research is currently conducted at the Fernow Experimental Forest and examines how anthropogenic changes in our environment alter important processes in forest ecosystems. Of particular interest is whether chronic additions of nitrogen by acid rain have exceeded the capacity of some forests to retain and utilize this nutrient. Specifically, my students and I are trying to determine whether differences in tree species accounts for the different responses observed in forests receiving similar amounts of nitrogen deposition and what factors may constrain forest productivity in a nitrogen-rich world. By understanding these processes, better forest management practices may be developed. Results from some of our work at the Fernow were included in the first volume of Teaching Issues and Experiments in Ecology, which is a peer-reviewed publication of educational materials by the Ecological Society of America.
Dr. Mary Beth Adams - I have worked for the Forest Service since 1989. I serve as a Supervisory Soil Scientist located at the Timber and Watershed Laboratory in Parsons, West Virginia, and as Project Leader for Research Work Unit NE-4353, "Sustainable Forest Ecosystems in the Central Appalachians." My research has focused on sustaining forest productivity through understanding soil processes, particularly nutrient cycling. Results of my research on air pollution effects on forests were used by legislators in drafting Clean Air legislation.
Collaborative Investigators
Dr. Frank Gilliam - I have been a member of the faculty at Marshall University since 1990 and teach courses in ecology and plant ecology. Most of what I do lies at the boundary between terrestrial plant communities and ecosystems. I am particularly interested in the movement and cycling of plant nutrients within terrestrial ecosystems. Directly related to this are interests in fire ecology and the effects of fire on nutrient cycling and on plants and soils in fire-prone ecosystems. Also related to my ecosystem approach to ecological research is an interest in atmospheric deposition and precipitation chemistry. This interest has led to the study of pollutant conditions (acid deposition and ozone) in forested areas. My interests in plant communities are focused predominantly on forest community ecology. I am particularly interested in secondary succession and the species dynamics of the herbaceous layer of forests, as well as the variety of biotic and abiotic factors that influence species composition and change within this vegetation stratum.
Fernow Graduate Fellows
David Nichols - I am conducting my M.S. research in the Fernow Long-Term Soil Productivity plots in order to assess the impact of nitrogen deposition on the composition and function of the soil fungal community. In particular I am measuring the diversity of fruiting bodies, and the diversity of fungi cultured from the litter and soil found in plots receiving different experimental treatments. I am also examining the extent of mycorrhizal colonization and root-associated phosphatase production for two plant species found in all the experimental plots - one endo- and one ectomycorrhizal plant species. Although it is commonly thought that the extent of mycorrhizal colonization will decline as nitrogen availability increases, I suspect that it will be unaffected if the demand for phosphorus by the plant community is increased.
Zach Fowler - My Ph.D. research at the Fernow is focused on understanding the extent to which the cascading impacts of nitrogen deposition can alter the soils, plants, and herbivores of a regenerating forest. I'm using the replicated experimental plots of the Long-Term Soil Productivity experiment to rigorously determine whether nitrogen additions alter soils in ways that affect the nutritional quality of plant tissues for hervivores & detritivores. I am also interested in using simple models to examine the extent to which a reduced biological demand for nitrogen may be triggered by an increased supply. This is important because a strong reduction in the demand for nitrogen may make some systems more susceptable than others to nitrogen saturation and its negative consequences.
Fernow Undergraduate Summer Interns