By Elizabeth Ripley
Iowa Learning Farms, in partnership with the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, will host a virtual field day on Thursday, March 26, at 1 p.m. CDT. The event, which is available at no cost, will feature a live discussion with Charlie Loewen, assistant professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology at Iowa State University, and ecology and evolutionary biology graduate research assistants Daniel Edwards, Kaitlyn Sanchez and Grace Jackson.
The virtual field day aims to provide insights into both the ecological values of nutrient reduction wetlands and whether they might pose unintended risks.
“Wetlands are very efficient at reducing nutrient loads from agricultural runoff before they
reach downstream. However, relatively little is known about the biological co-benefits of restored wetlands in Iowa, including their ability to provide habitat to support local wildlife. It is also important to understand whether they may have any unintended consequences. For example, because wetlands are generally much more efficient at reducing nitrogen than phosphorus, they can alter the ratios of these key nutrients,” notes Loewen. “This is important because different organisms have different nutritional requirements and we may be creating situations where cyanobacteria, some of which can produce harmful toxins, have a competitive advantage over other organisms.”
In this innovative project, funded in part by the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, the focus is on how restoring wetlands, which are crucial to reducing nitrogen loads from agricultural fields, impacts the broader food web to maximize additional ecological benefits.
Source : iastate.edu