VCU news

By Mike Porter

Participants in the Second Annual Virginia Commonwealth University Rice Center Research Symposium learned about the latest research conducted by Virginia colleges and universities into the health of a Charles City County creek, river ecology and population and community ecology.

The daylong symposium on May 14 also showcased student research efforts during a poster session at the Inger and Walter Rice Center, VCU’s 343-acre living laboratory on the James River southeast of Richmond in Charles City County.

During the first session of the day, Paul Bukaveckas, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Biology and VCU Center for Environmental Studies, provided an overview of research conducted at Kimages Creek in Charles City County.

Student Joe Wood, Department of Biology, discussed his research into seasonal patterns of nitrogen retention in the creek. Research was also presented by students Christine E. Prasse and David J. Berrier and Assistant Professor Rima B. Franklin, Ph.D., Department of Biology, into hydrology and vegetation effects of microbial community structure and extracellular enzyme activity in the sediments of freshwater wetlands.

Student Amy Jenkins, Integrative Life Sciences, and Rima B. Franklin, Ph.D., presented their research into the temporal patterns in microbial communities associated with freshwater march sediments, and Arif Sikder, instructor, Center for Environmental Studies, discussed his research into the characteristics of suspended sediments of Kimages Creek. 

Greg Garman, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the Center for Environmental Studies, provided the overview on river ecology, which was the focus of the second session at the symposium.

Student Catherine Luria, Department of Biology, discussed her research titled “Bacterioplankton of the Tidal-Freshwater James River: Assessment of Resource Limitation.” Student Drew Garey, Integrative Life Sciences, and Leonard A. Smock, Ph.D., director of the Rice Center and professor of biology, presented their research into the effects of flow modification on the benthic macroinvertebrates of a large river system. Student Matt Balazik, Integrative Life Sciences, presented his research titled “Using Strontium and Calcium ratios to determine Atlantic sturgeon life history.”  

Also featured was research conducted by student Michael Wilson and Bryan Watts, Ph.D., Center for Conservation Biology at the College of William and Mary and Virginia Commonwealth University, on the status and ecological profile of freshwater marsh birds in Chesapeake Bay tributaries.

Watts. student David Hopler, Center for Environmental Studies, Adam Duerr, Center for Conservation Biology, and Research Associate Cathy Viverette, ecologist at the Center for Environmental Studies, presented research on the diet of fish-eating birds in Chesapeake Bay Nesting Colonies. Student Will Shuart, Center for Environmental Studies, delivered a presentation about the Virtual Rice Dashboard.

After a break for lunch, James Vonesh, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Biology, provided an overview on the population and community ecology session.

That session featured research by student Sheri A Shiflett, Integrative Life Sciences, and Donald R. Young, Ph.D., chair, Department of Biology, on comparisons of physiology, anatomy and structure among three evergreen shrubs in a temperate forest understory. Joy Ware, Ph.D., director of the Conservation Medicine Program at the Rice Center and professor in the Department of Pathology, presented her research on amphibians and reptiles in conservation medicine. 

The session also featured research titled “Flux of terrestrial carbon from experimental pools by aquatic insects: role of terrestrial inputs and light” by Johanna M. Kraus, Ph.D. and James Vonesh, Ph.D., Department of Biology. Student Jonathan Moore, Professor Jeffrey R. Walters, Ph.D., and Associate Professor Ignacio T. Moore, all from the Department of Biological Sciences at Virginia Tech, presented research on the effects of supplementary feeding on reproductive activity in the Prothonotary Warbler.

The final presentation, “Flying forward with Prothonotary Warblers,” was presented by Instructor Lesley Bullock, Department of Biology, Viverette and Professor Sarah Huber, Ph.D., Department of Biology at Randolph Macon College.

An afternoon poster session allowed student groups to display and explain their research, ranging from Flowering Dogwood pollination to an examination of the Eastern Mud Snake in Virginia to the presence of amphibian ranavirus in Virginia warm water fish hatchery ponds.   

Lindsey M. Koren, a Ph.D. student in the Integrative Life Sciences program, researched the amount of soil organic carbon coming into and staying in the James River watershed.

“It’s awesome that VCU supports this kind of research,” Koren said. “This symposium allows us, as scientists, to talk to each other about the research we’re conducting.  And for me, the resources that were provided at the Rice Center were phenomenal.  Wetlands, the James River and the forest ecosystem were all right here.”

During the symposium, Smock announced plans to make more than $16,000 available to support another 20 research projects being conducted by 23 students.

“Research is one of the focal areas of the VCU Rice Center and the research efforts here have really matured in a short time. There is more breadth and more depth to them and the research efforts are bearing fruit,” Smock said. “The students are really enjoying what they are doing, they are certainly learning and they’ve added to our body of knowledge.”