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Assistant Professor and Department of Plant Biology Contact Information
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I am broadly interested in the ecology and biogeochemistry of wetlands, and have worked in temperate, boreal, and subarctic regions across several continents. My work focuses on interactions between soil, plants, and the atmosphere to understand the resilience of plant communities and ecosystem processes to environmental changes. I am excited by integrative research questions that span levels of biological organization, particularly questions that explore the evolutionary, physiological, and ecological mechanisms that contribute to species controls on ecosystem processes. I rely heavily on empirical approaches (including ecosystem manipulations, comparative and gradient studies, laboratory experiments, and paleoecological approaches) that span multiple spatial and temporal scales. Many of my projects focus on biogeochemical linkages between wetlands and their surrounding natural and human altered landscapes. I hope to better quantify the biogeochemical basis of ecosystem services provided by our Nation's wetlands, and to use these studies to promote the wise use, management, and restoration of these vulnerable ecosystems.
Important Research Themes
Plant Controls on Biogeochemical Cycling. Plants can have direct and indirect influences on ecosystem processes and soil environments. In boreal regions, I examine how mosses, particularly Sphagnum species, influence decomposition and nutrient cycling. In many regions, wetlands are vulnerable to invasive species invasions due to their hydrologic function. We are beginning to examine the role of invasive species on biogeochemical processes in wetlands of the Great Lakes basin.
Wildfires and Biogeochemical Cycling. Fire has strong controls over carbon storage across boreal landscapes, and we are beginning to examine the influence of burning for other aspects of biogeochemistry such as mercury cycling. I am particularly interested in how fire impacts peatlands, given the large organic matter stocks that reside in these ecosystems. Visit Alaska's Fire Service for imagery on the recent severe fire seasons in Alaska and western Canada.
Whole Ecosystem Experiments in Climate Change. Given that many boreal regions are experiencing or will experience warmer and drier conditions, we are examining how wetland communities and biogeochemical processes will respond to changing climatic and fire regimes. We recently established a series of water table drawdown and soil warming experiments in a rich fen near the Bonanza Creek LTER site. Click here for the APEX project website
Turetsky, M.R., R.K. Wieder, D.H. Vitt, R. Evans, and K. D. Scott. The disappearance of relict permafrost in boreal regions: effects on peatland carbon storage and fluxes. Global Change Biology 13, 1-13. See coverage by the AAAS , National Post, The Vancouver Sun, the Edmonton Journal.
Turetsky, M.R., J.W. Harden, H. Friedli, M. Flannigan, N. Payne, J. Crock, L. Radke. 2006. Wildfires threaten mercury stocks in northern soils. Geophysical Research Letters 33, 10.1029/2005GL025595. See coverage in Science News, TIME magazine, Christian Science Monitor, Science Update (AAAS radio)
Kasischke, E.S., and M.R. Turetsky. 2006. Recent changes in the fire regime across the North American boreal region. Geophysical Research Letters 33, 10.1029/2006GL025677. Featured as an journal highlight and cover page story
Turetsky, M.R., S. Manning, and R.K. Wieder. 2004. Dating recent peat deposits. Wetlands 24: 324-356
Turetsky, M.R. 2003. Bryophytes in carbon and nitrogen cycling. Invited essay for New Frontiers in Bryology and Lichenology. The Bryologist 106: 395-409
Turetsky, M.R., R.K. Wieder, and D.H. Vitt. 2002. Boreal peatland C fluxes under varying permafrost regimes. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 34: 907-912
National Science Foundation, Ecosystems Program. Climatic controls on wetland carbon balance in interior boreal Alaska: an experimental manipulation of thermal and moisture regimes. With McGuire (University of Alaska-Fairbanks) and Harden (USGS)
NASA. Wildfire consumption of ground-layer organic matter in North American boreal forests and peatlands: implications for atmospheric trace gas emissions and long-term soil carbon storage. With Kasischke (University of Maryland) and McGuire (University of Alaska-Fairbanks)
National Science Foundation. U.S.-Russia planning visit. peatland research program, a coordinated approach. With Vitt (Southern Illinois University), Wieder (Villanova University), Vile (Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences), Yu (Lehigh University)
National Science Foundation RCN. PEATNET: Globalization of northern peatland ecosystem research. With Vitt (Southern Illinois University), Wieder (Villanova University), Bubier (Mount Holyoke College), Vile (Pennsylvania Academy of Sciences)
FW412/417 Wetland Ecology and Management (click here for the course website), Fall terms
A 3 credit lecture and laboratory course that integrates lectures, laboratory and field activities, and problem based learning to explore the connections between wetland hydrology, soils, and community structure, as well as the complexity of managing wetlands for the variety of ecosystem services that they provide. Students participate in semester-long research projects for a first hand experience with the scientific method and a contemporary issue in wetland ecology, policy, and/or management.
PLB803 Integrative Topics in Plant Biology (Carbon Fluxes Within Plants), Spring 2006
Co-instructed with Yair Shachar-Hill, this 2 credit seminar explores the molecular, physiological, and ecological basis for carbon flow within plants, and between plants, soils, and the atmosphere. Students work in teams to develop NSF style research proposals that integrate levels of biological organization to address a novel topic in carbon cycle science.
Lab Members
click here for our lab website
Students and postdocs in my lab work on a variety of issues related to community and ecosystem ecology, but are expected to develop novel research hypotheses and to take advantage of opportunities stemming from research interests in the lab. I also encourage students to perform service or outreach activities that complement career goals.
