DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Will stream restoration enhance ecosystem resistance and resilience to storms?

近几十年来，美国的溪流恢复工作大大增加，但对其生态影响的严格评估仍然很少。一种常见的溪流恢复办法是重新引入大木材，这些木材已在森林采伐过程中被系统地移走。溪流中的大片木材为溪流食物网创造了栖息地并保留了食物资源(即有机物)。为了在实验上测试大量木材添加是否会增加风暴过后的有机质保留，将在三条恢复的溪流中，在有和没有添加木材的情况下，对成对的100米河段的有机物输入和输出进行量化。整个河流的营养需求，综合了河流微生物和藻类的生物活性，将被量化为一个响应变量。结果将为木材添加作为溪流修复工具的长期效果提供洞察。环境干扰(如风暴、火灾和干旱)在发生后很长一段时间内在构建生物群落方面发挥着重要作用。因此，随着科学家和土地管理者实施生态系统恢复战略，我们必须了解恢复将如何与环境干扰相互作用。这项研究的结果将有助于参与河流恢复活动的私营和公共实体完善和改进其方法，进一步推动可持续、长期恢复战略的成功。

Stream restoration efforts in the US have greatly increased in recent decades, but rigorous evaluations of their ecological impacts remain rare. One common stream restoration approach is reintroduction of large wood that has been systematically removed in association with forest logging. Large wood in streams creates habitat and retains food resources (i.e., organic matter) for stream food webs. To experimentally test if large wood addition increases organic matter retention following storms, organic matter inputs and outputs will be quantified in paired 100-meter reaches with and without added wood, in three restored streams. Whole-stream nutrient demand, which integrates the biological activity of stream microbes and algae, will be quantified as a response variable. Results will provide insight into long-term efficacy of wood addition as a stream restoration tool. Environmental disturbances (e.g. storms, fires, and droughts) play a significant role in structuring biological communities for time periods long after their occurrence. Therefore, as scientists and land managers implement ecosystem restoration strategies, it is critical that we understand how restoration will interact with environmental disturbance. Results from this study will assist private and public entities involved in stream restoration activities, in refining and improving their approaches, furthering the success of sustainable, long-lasting restoration strategies.