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Center for Coastal Resources Management

GCA Coastal Wetlands Scholarship Award Recipients

Award Recipients in 2023

Samantha Turner-Rosa
Master’s Student, Northwestern University

Study Title: Migrating Mangroves: Exploring the Role of Pollinators and Floral Ecology in Mangrove Range Expansion

Study Summary: Focusing on mangrove range expansions into salt marsh ecosystems, Rosa will investigate pollinators’ biotic pull that contributes to a plant’s adaptation to climate change via migration. A comparative study of black mangrove reproductive ecology will be conducted along a latitudinal gradient on the east coast of Florida, from the species’ equatorial range core to its actively shifting range margin. Rosa’s studies will shed light on the global implications of mangrove migration and the importance of understanding the role of pollination when designing land management systems and refining conservation efforts. (Project)

Aaron Bland
Ph.D. Candidate, University of South Alabama

Study Title: Limits to Oyster Development on Breakwater Structures

Study Summary: Built to protect habitat and provide substrate for oysters, many breakwaters fail to develop into oyster reefs. Bland’s studies will focus on the many ecological factors that might limit oyster settlement and survival, including larval supply, water quality, predation, and tidal elevation. Bland will test the importance of these ecological factors by monitoring bare and pre-seeded settlement tiles at various elevations at two restoration sites. Bland aims to identify factors limiting oyster development on breakwater structures to inform future project design and siting for more effective oyster restoration.  (Project)

Meredith Theus
Ph.D. candidate, Cornell University

Study Title: Effects of Plant Communities and Seasonality on Wetland Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Study Summary: Theus will investigate the linkage among wetland plant biodiversity, seasonality, and greenhouse gas emissions to inform restoration and conservation efforts. Research will focus on wetlands as sources of greenhouse gas Theus will look closely at plants’ influence on greenhouse gasses through the effects of traits on the environment. (Project)

 

Clare Escamilla
Ph.D. candidate, Clemson University

Study Title: Guiding Successful Implementation of Floating Wetlands in Brackish Ponds

Study Summary:  Escamilla will study how excessive nutrients entering stormwater ponds through runoff events lead to algal blooms and other water-quality concerns that impact senior coastal wetlands and estuaries. Knowing that many coastal ponds can be tidally influenced and brackish, Escamilla’s research will determine how floating wetlands can be used in brackish systems to improve water quality and provide additional ecosystem services.  (Project)