In the past, I was involved in the study of prairie pothole wetlands in the upper Midwest. Much of the work I have participated in has sought to understand the ways by which wetland restorations can be considered successful or unsuccessful in relation to undisturbed ecosystems. In addition to the sampling of abiotic parameters, such as water chemistry and soil character, I have monitored bird and amphibian populations as restorations have developed over time. However, the component of wetland ecosystems that I am most interested in and have come to believe offers perhaps the best indicator of biological integrity is vegetative composition.

In the southeastern United States, it was my specific goal to further our knowledge of the plant communities that characterize the endemic wetland ecosystems known as Carolina Bays. By understanding some of the ways that environmental factors, such as hydrologic regime, dictate plant community composition over a range of Carolina Bay ecotypes, I hoped to be able to make statements about what species should be present given certain environmental characteristics and why they might be expected. Such information would allow us to assess both the health of extant Carolina Bays and provide recommendations about what should be done to foster particular bay types through restoration.

 

Selected Publications and Presentations
Mulhouse, J. M., D. De Steven, R. F. Lide and R. R. Sharitz. 2005. Effects of dominant species on vegetation change in Carolina bay wetlands following a multi-year drought. Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 132:411-420.

Mulhouse, J. M., L. E. Burbage and R. R. Sharitz. 2005. Seed bank-vegetation relationships in herbaceous Carolina bays: responses to climatic variability. Wetlands 25:738-747.