Sapelo Research Application Form
Research Application ID: GCE-8-2011 (submitted: 05/17/2011, status: approved)
Provide a brief title for web display
Consumer diversity impacts in salt marshes
Investigator Information
On Island Sponsor: GCE SINERR UGAMI GADNR
| Principal Investigator: | Brian R. Silliman | ||
| Home Institution: | Duke University | ||
| Award Information: | University Scholars Program, University of Florida, $2.5K | ||
| Mailing Address: | 135 Duke Marine Lab Rd. | Phone Number: | (352) 392-1137 |
| Duke University Marine Lab | E-mail Address: | brian.silliman@duke.edu | |
| Beaufort, North Carolina 28516-9721 | |||
| Co-investigators: | Marc Simon Hensel (University of Florida) | ||
Briefly describe the project goals and methodology
Here I am investigating the importance of consumer diversity in marsh community structure and ecosystem function. The three major consumers of the dominant marsh grass Spartina alterniflora include the marsh periwinkle (Litorraria irrorata), the putple marsh crab (sesarma reticulatum), and an ubiquitous marsh fungus. These consumers have variable impacts on the marsh grass and I will be using manipulative field techniques to help tease apart the importance of interactions and the impacts of having a diverse consumer assemblage. I am using 1m2 aluminum flashing cages as marsh field-cosms and will be manipulating presence or absence of these consumers
Where will the project be located?
31.25.25N 81.17.31W This site is adjacent to a site approved by Dorsett Hurley for John Griffin
How will you provide GPS coordinates for study sites?
I will arrange with my research sponsor to collect and register GPS coordinates
What are the expected start and end dates of the project?
Start Date: 05/17/2011 End Date: 11/28/2011
How many people will access the site and at what frequency?
1 person 4 days a week
Keywords that describe your project
What equipment will be deployed in the field?
64 1m2 aluminum flashing cages painted with antifouling paint and secured with wooden stakes and galvanized staples
The equipment will be deployed from May til November
Will plants or animals be collected as part of this study?
16,000 L. irrirata
320 S. reticulatum
Invertebrate collection permit issued May 2011 by Mary Price, UGAMI
What are the likely impacts of the project on the site?
The main impact on this site is from trampling vegetation. Experience suggests that midmarsh sites like this one recover from trampling in 1-2 years
Application of the fungicide Daconil will be used for fungus removal treatments. This fungicide will have a positive impact on Spartina production and no negative impact on the type
At the end of the experiment in November 50x50cm of aboveground Spartina will be removed from each of the 64 plots. This grass will recover in 1 year
Will the project design include boardwalks? If not, explain why not.
The site is most likely too far to build boardwalks from the high marsh to the site. However building boardwalks between cages may reduce trampling effects
How long will impacts persist after the research is concluded?
1-3 years will allow the marsh grass to recover
Study Area Map:
Files attached to this application
GCE-8-2011_GPS_GCE8_HenselSilliman.zip (Zip archive, 17.27 kb, submitted 07/18/2011)
GCE-8-2011_GIS_GCE-8-2011-GCE8_GIS_HenselSilliman.zip (Zip archive, 8.4 kb, submitted 07/22/2011)
GCE-8-2011_Maps_Hensel_cage_study_2011.kmz (Compressed KML file, 2.88 kb, submitted 03/05/2012)
