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 2006-2007 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.) Black Swamp Hydrogeomorphic Bottomland Hardwood Functional Assessment (pdf file) T.H. Roberts and K.L. Morgan Funding by: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Collection of Data at Deer Check Stations (pdf file) T.H. Roberts Funding by: Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency A Comparative Study of the Historical and Present Ecological State of the Emory River Watershed (pdf file) S.B. Cook and D.B. George Funding by: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Development and Testing of a Protocol for Monitoring Mussels (pdf file) J.B. Layzer Funding by: United States Geological Survey Development of a Geo-referenced Database to Identify and Inventory Wetlands at Little River Canyon National Preserve (pdf file) T.H. Roberts and K.L. Morgan Funding by: National Park Service Hydrogeomorphic Classification and Assessment of Slope Wetlands on the Tennessee Highland Rim (pdf file) T.H. Roberts and K.L. Morgan Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Monitoring Groundwater Hydrology and Selected Plant Communities at the Three Rivers Mitigation Bank (pdf file) T.H. Roberts and K.L. Morgan Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Monitor the Populations of Three Species of Endangered Bats Found in Northern Arkansas (pdf file) M.J. Harvey Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Mourning Dove Recruitment and Crippling Loss in Tennessee (pdf file) S.E. Hayslette U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Nutrient and Biological Assessment of Jones Creek, Dickson County, Tennessee (pdf file) D.B. George and S.B. Cook Water Authority of Dickson County Reintroduction of Mussels into the Little Tennessee River at the Calderwood Dam By-Pass (pdf file) J.B. Layzer Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Research Directed at the Recovery of Endangered Mussels (pdf file) J.B. Layzer U.S. Geological Survey T & E Bat Inventory, Distribution and Monitoring (pdf file) M.J. Harvey Ozark-St. Francis National Forest Threatened or Endangered Aquatic Insect Survey (pdf file) S.B. Cook National Park Service