Brian successfully defended his thesis "Describing Nitrogen Dynamics in Eastern North Carolina Waterfowl Impoundments by Combining Field-Scale and Laboratory-Scale Based Approaches" and Debbie defended her  dissertation "Are All Fish Nurseries Equal? Determining How Food Web Dynamics Affect Fishery Nursery Habitat."

Megan and Ariane set up a decomposition experiment at the long-term fertilization/mowing plots at ECU's West Research Campus. Megan will dig up buried rooibos and green tea bags in August to examine how long-term fertilization influences litter decomposition. While the soil microbes munch for three months, Megan is participating in a Bioethics program at Yale University this summer. Congrats to Megan!

Former postdoc Yanmei and Ariane co-lead paper ​"Crop rotational diversity increases disease suppressive capacity of soil microbiomes"

ECU Biology Grads Sydni Law (Reyes Lab) and Gina Bledsoe (Peralta Lab) present their research on wetland nutrient cycling.

Colleagues and friends present urban wetland biogeochemistry session “The Novel Biogeochemistry of Ubiquitous Understudied Urban Wetlands” organized by Lauren Kinsman-Costello (Kent State Univ.) and Ariane.  

The Peralta Lab and friends welcome visitors during Earth Day 2018 celebrations matching microbiome games and videos!

Brian Hinckley, Gina Bledsoe, and Sam Austin presented their research! Great job, team! We did some celebrations post-conference with the ECU water resources crew and friends.

Luise successfully defended her thesis "REWETTING POCOSIN WETLANDS LOWERS GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS"! and ...
Alex successfully defended her thesis "SALINIZATION IMPACTS ON HISTORICALLY FRESHWATER BACTERIAL COMMUNITIES"!

Gina and Sam keeping busy measuring greenhouse gas production and water quality from the ECU constructed wetland.

Tagged along with Brian and Randall for water and soil sampling at Mattamuskeet. It sure is hot in Eastern North Carolina :)!

Luise and crew always come back with interesting stories about the pocosin! On my trip with the gang, we had an little adventure with the truck and learned that the hydrologic restoration is working (making it a little squishy). Thanks to folks at FWS for getting us out of the wetland!

ECU Biology had a great showing at the SFS meeting this year in Raleigh. Gina, Debbie, Brian, Alex, and Luise did an awesome job on their presentations about coastal and wetland ecology!

Tagged along with Debbie and Heather Deck of Sound Rivers. It was a beautiful day to get zooplankton and bacterioplankton samples along the Tar-Pamlico River.