Plant productivity and diversity in coastal wetlands in Mississippi – impact of hydrological extremes

Wetlands are highly productive ecosystems that provide important ecosystem services and are threatened by extreme hydrological events. I evaluated how diversion of freshwater like Bonnet Carré Spillway openings in Louisiana, US, affected vegetation productivity and diversity in salt marshes on the neighboring Mississippi Gulf Coast, US. My study area is two estuarine systems that differ in their proximity to the Bonnet Carré Spillway, elevation, and salinity including Hancock County Marshes on the west, and Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) on the east in Mississippi. I collected above- and belowground biomass samples in 2020 and 2021, developed linear mixed-effects models to predict how the plant productivity and diversity changed with elevation and soil porewater salinity, and linked vegetation productivity to spectral information of Landsat and Sentinel satellite images. I applied the models to hindcast vegetation productivity based on historical satellite images approximately during May and August of years with and without Bonnet Carré Spillway openings to assess the openings’ impact on vegetation productivity. While elevation was included in most of the models to predict above- or belowground biomass in Hancock County marshes, soil porewater salinity was the more prevalent driver in the Grand Bay NERR. Additionally, vegetation biodiversity decreased with salinity in both salt marshes. As the frequency and duration of the Bonnet Carré Spillway openings increased, the peak green aboveground biomass decreased in both estuaries in the year when the spillway opened and was concentrated in the region that is closer in proximity to the Bonnet Carré Spillway

Development of forest structure and leaf area in secondary forests regenerating on abandoned pastures in central Amazônia

Copyright ©2005 American Meteorological Society, American Geophysical Union (AGU), Association of American Geographers (AAG). Earth Interactions is available at http://earthinteractions.org/The area of secondary forest (SF) regenerating from pastures is increasing in the Amazon basin; however, the return of forest and canopy structure following abandonment is not well understood. This study examined the development of leaf area index (LAI), canopy cover, aboveground biomass, stem density, diameter at breast height (DBH), and basal area (BA) by growth form and diameter class for 10 SFs regenerating from abandoned pastures. Biomass accrual was tree dominated, constituting ≥94% of the total measured biomass in all forests abandoned ≥4 to 6 yr. Vine biomass increased with forest age, but its relative contribution to total biomass decreased with time. The forests were dominated by the tree Vismia spp. (>50%). Tree stem density peaked after 6 to 8 yr (10 320 stems per hectare) before declining by 42% in the 12- to 14-yr-old SFs. Small-diameter tree stems in the 1–5-cm size class composed >58% of the total stems for all forests. After 12 to 14 yr, there was no significant leaf area below 150-cm height. Leaf area return (LAI = 3.2 after 12 to 14 yr) relative to biomass was slower than literature-reported recovery following slash-and-burn, where LAI can reach primary forest levels (LAI = 4–6) in 5 yr. After 12 to 14 yr, the colonizing vegetation returned some components of forest structure to values reported for primary forest. Basal area and LAI were 50%–60%, canopy cover and stem density were nearly 100%, and the rapid tree-dominated biomass accrual was 25%–50% of values reported for primary forest. Biomass accumulation may reach an asymptote earlier than expected because of even-aged, monospecific, untiered stand structure. The very slow leaf area accumulation relative to biomass and to reported values for recovery following slash-and-burn indicates a different canopy development pathway that warrants further investigation of causes (e.g., nutrient limitations, competition) and effects on processes such as evapotranspiration and soil water uptake, which would influence long-term recovery rates and have regional implications

Implementation of a Clinical Pharmacist in a Hemodialysis Facility: A Quality Improvement Report

Rationale & Objective: Hemodialysis (HD) patients have complicated disease states, placing them at higher risk for medication-related problems, medication discrepancies, and nonadherence. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of a clinical pharmacist in a single HD facility by assessing the efficacy of medication reconciliation in HD patients and evaluating the potential impact on a single health care system. Study Design: Retrospective study. Setting & Participants: Greenfield Health Systems, a wholly owned subsidiary of Henry Ford Health, operates 14 HD facilities throughout Southeast Michigan. The West Pavilion facility is located in Detroit, MI. Patients with end-stage kidney disease included in the study had a minimum of 4 encounters with the clinical pharmacist or pharmacy interns between August 2017 and October 2018. Exposure: A clinical pharmacist performed medication reconciliation and medication reviews with HD patients to assess medication-related problems and identify gaps in care. Interventions made by the pharmacist were prespecified through a collaborative practice agreement. Outcomes: To evaluate the impact of a clinical pharmacist in an HD facility by assessing the efficacy of medication reconciliation in HD patients and evaluating the potential impact on this health system through an estimated cost avoidance. Analytical Approach: Descriptive statistics were used to collect medication-related problems and classified based on a modified Hepler-Strand approach. Results: There were 1,403 medication-related problems, with an average of 8.96 medication-related problems per patient. Adherence was the most common medication-related problem (31%). Antihypertensive medication was the most common drug class in which the pharmacist intervened (37%), followed by vitamin D analogues and calcimimetics (29%). A projected total of US $447,355 was saved. Limitations: Retrospective analysis of observational data and descriptive statistics with the potential for residual bias and confounding. Conclusions: Pharmacists in HD facilities have a positive influence on HD patients through medication management that results in cost savings

Evaluating an Extension program: the Texas 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program

In times of heightened environmental consciousness, conservation education programming has proven useful for providing information and promoting natural resource conservation and stewardship. In a study of the 2005 Texas 4-H Wildlife Habitat Evaluation Program (WHEP), a contest teaching youth about the fundamentals of wildlife science and management, I sought to determine if WHEP was successfully reaching its primary goal: promoting conservation by increasing knowledge and skills of youth in the wildlife field. Through a series of facilitator-led interviews with WHEP participants (n = 35) and a combination of internet and on-site surveys (consisting of 35 current participants, 22 control youth, 19 past participants, 25 parents, and 7 coaches obtained from program registration lists), I explored the influence of program participation on wildlife management knowledge, social and leadership skills, attitudes, and understanding of stewardship. I found that WHEP had a significant impact on knowledge of wildlife management techniques and ecological concepts. The program had little influence on attitudes because most youth had positive perceptions of natural resources management prior to program involvement. I also found that past participants of WHEP claimed a significant increase in skills after program participation, but current participants could not determine their own progress. This suggested a longer period of time was needed to gauge self improvement. Parents and coaches claimed the program had a large impact on youth through instilling knowledge and values, but also improving their social, cognitive, and leadership competencies. Adults also discussed issues with participation, including a lack of program expansion and support. From these results, I determined that WHEP was achieving its program goals, but needs to address the issue of expansion because of its low level of operation compared to other 4-H programs in Texas. Suggestions for program growth include targeting youth groups and counties, cross promoting with other conservation programs, and continuing recruitment in currently participating counties