Research

Global Change Effects on Tidal Wetlands: ​

The goal of our coastal wetland research program is to understand the ways in which tidal wetlands respond to and maintain resilience in the face of environmental changes. In particular, we examine how simultaneously changing external forcing factors, such as elevated CO2, sea-level rise, nutrient enrichment, storm sedimentation, or fire, affect ecosystem processes that regulate carbon and nitrogen biogeochemistry, organic matter accumulation, vertical accretion, or the capacity for upslope migration. We combine greenhouse and field studies to (1) quantify biophysical feedbacks to marsh surface elevation; (2) examine impacts of disturbances or restoration on ecosystem structure and function; and (3) help inform models to promote adaptive management and restoration strategies.

Current & Recent Projects

Bayou Cumbest at Grand Bay NERR in Mississippi

Nature-based solutions and adjusted DEMs for marsh modelling activities

  • Funding from NOAA-CIROH for two projects: (1) nature-based solutions to mitigate compound flooding in Mobile Bay, and (2) developing adjusted DEMs to conduct retrospective analyses of marsh resilience at Grand Bay and Plum Island Estuary NERRs
  • Primary collaborators: Drs. Hamed Moftakhari, Nate Jones, Emily Elliott
Sediment addition plot at Pearl River, LA (photo credit: N. Temple)

Understanding nonlinear responses of tidal marshes to sedimentation events through field and greenhouse experimentation

  • Funding from USGS Climate and Land Use Change R&D Program
  • Primary collaborator: Dr. Jim Grace
Cherry and Mortazavi lab members conducting preliminary surveys at Fowl River marshes (photo credit: J. Cherry)

Recovering biological structure and ecosystem functions in restored tidal marshes of the northern Gulf of Mexico

  • Research as part of the Collaborative Research in Marsh Soils, Organisms & Nutrients (CRIMSON) project focused on comparing ecosystem structure and function in one natural and several restored tidal marshes along the Fowl River in Alabama.
  • Research as part of a Sea Grant project expanded the CRIMSON work to examine the recovery of ecosystem functions at 12 restored and 4 natural sites.
  • Primary collaborator: Dr. Behzad Mortazavi
UA and SIU field crews sampling at Grand Bay NERR, MS (photo credit: L. Battaglia)

Exploring the potential role of fire to promote lateral migration of coastal marsh in response to climate change

  • Funding from EPA via Gulf of Mexico Foundation
  • Primary collaborator: Dr. Loretta Battaglia
  • KRIS News in Corpus Christi, TX covered our study at the Grand Bay NERR. ​Read more about it here.
USGS collaborators, Ches Vervaeke and Nick Latiolais, read and record SET data at Pearl River, LA (photo: N. Temple)

Forecasting tidal marsh responses to climate change and monitoring elevation change using Surface Elevation Tables (SETs).

  • Funding from USGS Climate and Land Use Change R&D Program
  • Primary collaborator: Dr. Karen McKee
  • The video below by Dr. McKee highlights aspects of our global change research.  
UA and DISL field crews install weirs to measure the effects of sea-level rise on restored marshes at the Weeks Bay NERR, AL (photo credit: J. Cherry)

Testing different restoration strategies aimed at recovering ecosystem functions in a world of rising seas using our weir approach.

  • Funding from NOAA NERR Science Collaborative
  • Primary collaborators: Drs. Just Cebrian and Eric Sparks 
  • Coverage of our approach to manipulate sea-level rise was highlighted in numerous media outlets from Science Daily to the local Tuscaloosa News. Read more about it here. 

Community Structure & Ecosystem Functions in Freshwater Wetlands:

To a lesser extent, we conduct research in local freshwater wetlands with the goal of understanding how plant communities respond to changes in their environment, interact with each other, and influence ecosystem processes. This work explores plant responses to invertebrate grazing, interspecific competition, and water level fluctuations. We also have examined how changes in community composition and liter quality influence patterns of nutrient or material export from beaver-formed wetlands embedded within larger stream networks.

Publications

Yannick, D., S. Oberbauer, C. Staudhammer, J.A. Cherry, and G. Starr. 2024. Carbon dynamics of a coastal wetland transitioning to mangrove forest. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences. 129(4): e2023JG007991. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023JG007991

Starr, S.F., B. Mortazavi, C. Tatariw, K.A. Kuehn, J.A. Cherry, T. Ledford, E. Smyth, A.G. Wood, and S.E. Sebren. 2024. Labile organic matter promotes nitrogen retention in natural and constructed Gulf Coast marshes. Biogeochemistry. 167:169-285.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10533-024-01128-0.

Rinehart, S.A., J.M. Dybiec, P. Richardson, J.B. Walker, J.D. Peabody, and J.A. Cherry. 2024. Researcher effects on the biological structure and edaphic conditions of field sites and implications for management. Ecosphere. 15(1):e4750. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4750

Simpson, L.T., S.K. Chapman, L.M. Simpson, and J.A. Cherry. 2023. Do global change variables alter mangrove decomposition? A systematic review. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 32:1874-1892. https://doi.org/10.1111/geb.13743

Dybiec, J.M., M. Sharbaugh, S.A. Rinehart, and J.A. Cherry. 2023. Seasonal sediment dynamics in a constructed and natural tidal marsh in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Wetlands. 43:70. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-023-01719-x

Rinehart, S.A., J.M. Dybiec, E. Fromenthal, T. Ledford, B. Mortazavi, and J.A. Cherry. 2023. Recovery of planktonic invertebrate communities in restored and created tidal marshes along the northern Gulf of Mexico. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 291: 108417. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2023.108417

Rinehart, S.A., J.M. Dybiec, B. Mortazavi, and J.A. Cherry. 2023. Stratified vertical sediment profiles enhance burrowing crab effects on salt marsh edaphic conditions. Ecosphere. 14(3): e4431. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.4431

Yu, Z., C. Staudhammer, S.L. Malone, S.F. Oberbauer, J. Zhao, J.A. Cherry, and G. Starr. 2022. Biophysical factors influence methane fluxes in subtropical freshwater wetlands using eddy covariance methods. Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-022-00787-0

Cherry, J.A. and G.J. Pec. 2022. Advances, applications, and prospects in aquatic botany. Applications in Plant Sciences. 10(4): e11488. https://doi.org/10.1002/aps3.11488

Starr, S.F., B. Mortazavi, C. Tatariw, K.A. Kuehn, J.A. Cherry, T. Ledford, E. Smyth, A.G. Wood, S.E. Sebren. 2022. Poor recovery of fungal denitrification limits nitrogen removal capacity in a constructed Gulf Coast marsh. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 170:108692. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2022.108692

Pitchford, J. L., K. Cressman, J.A. Cherry, B.T. Russell, J. McIlwain, M.J. Archer, W.V. Underwood. 2022. Trends in surface elevation and accretion in a retrograding delta in coastal Mississippi, USA from 2012-2016. Wetlands Ecology and Management. 30:461-475. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11273-022-09871-7

Simpson, L.T., S.W.J. Canty, J. Cissell, M.K. Steinberg, J.A. Cherry, and I.C. Feller. 2021. Bird rookery nutrient over-enrichment as a potential accelerant of mangrove cay decline in Belize. Oecologia. 197(3):771-784. doi: 10.1007/s00442-021-05056-w.

Ledford, T.C., B. Mortazavi, C. Tatariw, S.F. Starr, E. Smyth, A.G. Wood, L.T. Simpson, and J.A. Cherry. 2021. Ecosystem carbon exchange and nitrogen removal rates in two 33-year-old constructed salt marshes are similar to those in a nearby natural marsh. Restoration Ecology. 29(7):e13439. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13439.

Macy, A., M. Osland, J.A. Cherry, and J. Cebrian. 2021. Effects of chronic and acute stressors on transplanted black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) seedlings along an eroding Louisiana shoreline. Restoration Ecology. 29(5):13373. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13373.

Martin, S., E.L. Sparks, A.J. Constantin, J. Cebrian, and J.A. Cherry. 2021. Restoring fringing tidal marshes for ecological function and ecosystem resilience to moderate sea-level rise in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Environmental Management. 67:384-397. https://10.1007/s00267-020-01410-5. 

Wiesner, S., G. Starr, L.R. Boring, J.A. Cherry, P.C. Stoy, and C.L. Staudhammer. 2020. Forest structure and composition drive differences in metabolic energy and entropy dynamics during temperature extremes in longleaf pine savanna. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2020.108252.

Tatariw, C., B. Mortazavi, T.C. Ledford, L.T. Simpson, S.F. Starr, E.L. Smyth, A.G. Wood, and J.A. Cherry. 2020. Reduced belowground plant recovery limited nitrate reduction capacity in a 32-year-old marsh. Restoration Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.13300.

Macy, A., Osland, M.J., Cherry, J.A., and Cebrian, J. (2020) Changes in ecosystem nitrogen and carbon allocation with black mangrove (Avicennia germinans) encroachment into Spartina alterniflora salt marsh. Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-020-00565-w. 

Simpson, L.T., Cherry, J.A., Smith, R.S., and Feller, I.C. (2020) Mangrove encroachment into saltmarsh alters decomposition through changes in litter quality. Ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-020-00554-z.

Simpson, L.T., Lovelock, C.E., Cherry, J.A., and Feller, I.C. (2020) Short-lived effects of nutrient enrichment on Avicennia germinans decomposition in a saltmarsh-mangrove ecotone. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 235:106598. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2020.106598.

Cherry, J.A. and Battaglia, L.L. (2019) Tidal wetlands in a changing climate: introduction to a special feature. Wetlands. 39:1139-1144. doi.org/10.1007/s13157-019-01245-9.

Temple, N.A., Grace, J.B., and Cherry, J.A. (2019) Patterns of resource allocation in a coastal marsh plant (Schoenoplectus americanus) along a sediment-addition gradient. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 228:106337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2019.106337. 
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Braswell, A.E., May, C.A., and Cherry, J.A. (2019) Spatially-dependent patterns of plant recovery and sediment accretion following multiple disturbances in a Gulf of Mexico tidal marsh. Wetland Ecology and Management. 27:377-392. https://doi:10.1007/s11273-019-09666-3. 

Constantin, A.J., Broussard, W.P., and Cherry, J.A. (2019) Environmental gradients and overlapping ranges of dominant coastal wetland plants in Weeks Bay, AL. Southeastern Naturalist. 18:224-239.

Starr, G., Jarnigan, J., Staudhammer, C., and Cherry, J.A. (2018) Variation in ecosystem carbon dynamics of saltwater marshes in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Wetland Ecology and Management. 26:581-596.

Osland, M.J., Griffith, K.T., Larriviere, J.C., Feher, L.C., Cahoon, D.R., Enwright, N.M., Oster, D.A., Tirpak, J.M., Woodrey, M.S., Collini, R.C., Baustian, J.J., Breithaupt, J.L., Cherry, J.A., et al. (2017) Assessing coastal wetland vulnerability to sea-level rise along the northern Gulf of Mexico coast: gaps and opportunities for developing a coordinated regional sampling network. PLoS One 12(9):e0183431.​ [Link]

Lee, P.O., Cherry, J.A., Edmonds, J.W. (2017) Organic nitrogen runoff in coastal marshes: Effects on ecosystem denitrification. Estuaries and Coasts. 40:437-446. doi: 10.1007/s12237-016-0161-6.

Thompson, J.L., Kaiser, A., Sparks, E.L., Shelton, M., Brunden, E., Cherry, J.A., and Cebrian, J. (2016) Ecosystem-what? Public understanding and trust in conservation science and ecosystem services. Frontiers in Communication. 1(3):1-9. doi: 10.3389/fcomm.2016.00003. [PDF]

Jones, J.A., Cherry, J.A., and McKee, K.L. (2016) Species and tissue type regulate long-term decomposition of brackish marsh plants grown under elevated CO2

 conditions. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science. 169:38-45. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecss.2015.11.033.

Cherry, J.A., Ramseur, G.S. Jr., Sparks, E.L., and Cebrian, J. (2015) Testing sea-level rise impacts in tidal wetlands: a novel in situ approach. Methods in Ecology and Evolution. 6:1443-1451. doi: 10.1111/2041-210X.12441.

Conner, W.H. and Cherry, J.A. (2013) Plant productivity – bottomland hardwood forests. In Methods in Biogeochemistry of Wetlands, K.R. Reddy and R.D. DeLaune (eds). Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI. 

Woodrey, M.S., Rush, S.A., Cherry, J.A., Nuse, B.L., Cooper, R.J., and Lehmicke, A.J.J. (2012) Understanding the potential impacts of global climate change on marsh birds in the Gulf of Mexico region. Wetlands 32:35-49.

Cherry, J.A. (2011) Ecology of wetland ecosystems: water, substrate, and life. Nature Education Knowledge 2(1):3.

Cherry, J.A. and Gough, L. (2009) Trade-offs in plant responses to herbivory influence trophic routes of production in a freshwater wetland. Oecologia 161:549-557.

Cherry, J.A., McKee, K.L., and Grace, J.B. (2009) Elevated CO2 enhances biological contributions to elevation change in coastal wetlands by offsetting stressors associated with sea-level rise. Journal of Ecology 97:67-77.

Langley, J.A., McKee, K.L., Cahoon, D.R., Cherry, J.A., and Megonigal, J.P. (2009) Elevated CO2 stimulates marsh elevation gain, counterbalancing sea-level rise. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 106:6182-6186.  [PDF] 

McKee, K.L. and Cherry, J.A. (2009) Hurricane Katrina sediment slowed elevation loss in subsiding brackish marshes of the Mississippi River Delta. Wetlands 29:2-15.

Cherry, J.A., Ward, A.K., and Ward, G.M. (2009) The dynamic nature of land-water interfaces: changes in structure and productivity along a water depth gradient in the Talladega Wetland Ecosystem. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 30:977-980.

Valentine-Rose, L.M., Cherry, J.A., Culp J.J., Perez, K.E., Pollock, J.B., Arrington, D.A., and Layman, C.A. (2007) Floral and faunal differences between fragmented and unfragmented Bahamian tidal creeks. Wetlands 27:702-718.

Cherry, J.A. and Gough, L (2006) Temporary floating island formation maintains wetland plant species richness: the role of the seed bank. Aquatic Botany 85:29-36.