Benthic Estuarine and Marine Ecology. Dr. John Carroll’s research group investigates estuarine and nearshore marine habitats, and is most interested in how natural and anthropogenic disturbances influence the community ecology, in particular, focusing on functionally important estuarine resources such as clams and oysters. Suspension feeding species provide many important ecosystem services, including improving water quality via filtration, providing habitat, stabilizing sediments, and nutrient reduction. Unfortunately, these important species have been historically decimated by overharvest, and despite restocking efforts, populations remain low. Contributing to low shellfish populations is declining water quality, as human populations increase and land use changes in coastal watersheds, excess nutrients, suspended solids and pollutants get washed downstream into estuaries. The Georgia coastal plain presents a unique opportunity to examine these impacts, as a number of watersheds empty into rivers which directly flow to the Georgia coastline, which remains relatively undeveloped. Dr. Carroll’s group combines laboratory experiments with field manipulations to quantify the impacts of variable water quality on growth and condition of a number of functionally important estuarine species. In addition, the group performs field surveys to examine the community members and how they change within and across the different estuaries.

Research Plan for REU Participant: Students will develop projects that assess (1) the impacts of water quality on survival, growth and condition of estuarine resources, (2) the filtration capacity of clams and oysters in raw water from different watersheds, and (3) the abundance of clams and oysters across estuaries. These research topics aim to quantify how differences in water quality, related to watershed properties such as land-use and population density, impact estuarine resources downstream, and in the case of coastal Georgia, far removed from sources of anthropogenic impact. As part of the research team, students can develop collaborative projects that examine how water quality within different watersheds directly impacts these important estuarine resources.

Visit Dr. Carroll's website for more information