Water sources are threatened by both point and nonpoint source pollutants. Studies of the chemical impacts of these pollutants on ecosystem health are made by the Center's researchers and can lead to best management practices for nonpoint source pollution control. Potentially cancer-causing chemicals from nursery or industry runoff can be analyzed through their fate and transport through the soil. Center researchers are studying these characteristics to limit the effects of the chemicals on aquatic and human life.
Wetlands perform the important functions of surface water storage, nutrient cycling, and pollutant and sediment trapping. Natural wetland systems are being classified based on hydrology, plant and animal ecology, and soil composition to develop functional assessment models for these ecosystems. The following are ecological assessment-related projects that were activated in the 2008-2009 fiscal year. For descriptions of specific projects, click on those with links.
(To view pdf files, you will need Adobe Acrobat software for Macintosh, Windows or Linux. This software is available free at www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html.) Barrens Heelsplitter Ecology and Population Dynamics (pdf file) J.B. Layzer Funding by: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Collection of Data at Deer Check Stations (pdf file) T.H. Roberts Funding by: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Compost and Drip Irrigation Effects on Soil and Water Quality, Soil Carbon/Nitrogen Ratios, Earthworms and Crop Yield in Organic Vegetable Plots (pdf file) G.K. Stearman, M. Best, J. Baier, J. Branson, J. Young, and B. Greene Funding by: U.S. Department of Agriculture Cookeville Sinkhole Flood Plain Map Projects (pdf file) H. Mills, P. Li, and E. Hart Funding by: City of Cookeville Ecological Assessment of Wetland Inventory at Fort Campbell, Kentucky (pdf file) K.L. Morgan and T.H. Roberts Funding by: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Effects of Stream Regulation on Freshwater Mussels (pdf file) J.B. Layzer Funding by: U.S. Geological Survey Laurel Dace Habitat Identification (pdf file) J.B. Layzer Funding by: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Monitoring Groundwater Hydrology and Selected Plant Communities at the Three Rivers Mitigation Bank (pdf file) T.H. Roberts and K.L. Morgan Funding by: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Monitoring the Hydrology and Selected Plant Communities at the Hatchie River Wetland Mitigation Bank (pdf file) T.H. Roberts and K.L. Morgan Funding by: Private Monitoring the Plant Community at the Yuchi Waterfowl Project in Rhea County (pdf file) T.H. Roberts and K.L. Morgan Funding by: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Propagation and Introduction of Endangered Species into the Green and Licking Rivers (pdf file) J.B. Layzer Funding by: U.S. Geological Survey Reintroduction of Mussels into the Little Tennessee River into the Calderwood Dam Bypass (pdf file) J.B. Layzer Funding by: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Reintroduction of the Rayed Bean (Villosa fablis) into the Duck River (pdf file) J.B. Layzer and K. Moles Funding by: U.S. Geological Survey Research Directed at the Recovery of Endangered Mussels (pdf file) J.B. Layzer Funding by: U.S. Geological Survey Threatened or Endangered Aquatic Insect Survey (pdf file) S.B. Cook Funding by: National Park Service