Event name: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) Excursion
Event time and place: Edgewater, MD @8:00 AM
Research:
Tree Growth - Tree growth is usually measured at diameter at breast height (DBH), but this is unreliable because this is an arbitrary range, dependent on the person who is measuring the tree, it takes more manpower to measure often do data isn’t as robust, and it can’t measure minute differences in the width of the tree over either very short or very long periods of time. So the people at SERC use what is called a manual band dendrometer which can measure a change of as small as 0.01 of a millimeter! This has been incredibly useful in making new discoveries about trees and their functions. As was discussed a little earlier, this can measure yearly growth, seasonal changes, or even daily changes. One huge discovery was that the tree expands more in the morning and contracts at the end of the day. This experiment can give us a lot of insight about how trees work and how we can better protect them and implement their various benefits in our communities, countries and world as a whole.
Earthworms - SERC conducted an experiment testing the effects of invasive earthworms on the soil’s fungal communities. They tested plots with two different types of trees, arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal, and the mycorrhizal fungi which they use to be able to uptake nutrients and water. Without this, most plants will be in critical condition so these researchers wanted to see the impacts of invasive earthworms, who recycle leaf litter and litter-ally make the soil, on plants because they likely have different systems which change the fungal concentrations or which is more prevalent. They found that the worms significantly affect arbuscular and ectomycorrhizal fungi, affecting the tree seedlings that depended on ectomycorrhizal mycorrhizal fungi but less so for those that used arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. These findings are important because it informs us of the real effects of these invasive earthworms, showing that they can lead to slow forest succession or oak regeneration after logging.
Habitats Impacted by Humans:
Marsh - A very direct impact is the destruction of marshes to build houses and other structures, usually for human entertainment. This commonly causes many problems not only for the ecosystem around that marsh but also the people living on the destroyed marches. These marshes are beneficial for the entire ecosystem because it is a barrier to project the forest from being eroded from the water, it filters the water going into the bay or any other body of water, removing sediments and excess nitrogen and phosphates, is a huge carbon sink, and provides essential habitats for millions of species, and so much more. The removal of these marshes directly removes all of these benefits. A less direct human impact is the introduction of invasive species, as we saw in the marshes in edgewater, the Phragmites have taken over a significant amount of the marsh itself. These choke out the other species, reducing biodiversity and habitats for the local species. There is an interesting balance here though, because although they reduce biodiversity, they hold much more soil, reducing erosion and increasing organic matter in the soil over time. This poses an interesting question for conservationists and people managing the land in general: do we protect the biodiversity which is so important to this bay or do we ensure the protection of the marsh with a stronger soil system?
Oyster Reef - The oyster reefs in the bay have been severely impacted by human activities. The main, and most destructive, was their harvesting for food. They would employ harvesting methods such as dredging or using tongs. These methods destroy the reefs and, historically, would allow them to harvest much more than a sustainable rate, dramatically reducing their numbers and affecting the health of the entire bay. Oysters are essential in the bay ecosystem, filtering millions upon millions of gallons of water everyday, providing clean water for all the organisms in the bay. The practice of overharvesting has decreased the population of oysters to less than 1% to 2% of historic levels, this not only degrades the water quality but also the economy in the community, without the oysters, they don’t have anything to sell. Another impact would be the overuse of fertilizers and pesticides, the excess nutrients cause algal blooms that deplete oxygen, killing the oysters and the marine life around them. Although there are many problems caused by human actions, there are many motions to help the oysters get back to their previous glory. Maryland itself has tripled their population in 20 years, now at 12 billion oysters in the bay, proving that the fight to restoration is hard but worth is and powerful.
SERC and the Community:
SERC strives to educate the community about nature, conservation, and overall environmental topics. They have public tours and lectures, citizen science programs, internships and school partnerships, and do digital and media outreach. These tours extend from elementary school kids up to college kids and any other person who is interested. Their citizen science programs have topics such as tracking invasive species, recording coastal conditions, and monitoring marine debris, bringing people into real, modern science which connects them to the environment and brings a real investment into it. There are so many other things that they do to bring people into nature and science, which really allows people to see the impacts of human activities on the environment. These are very effective when you do the activities and learn about their research and bring a lot of excitement into the topic and people continuing to do activities to help the environment.