Congratulations Graduates!
Spring 2018
Images of the College of Agriculture Diploma Ceremony and the RNR Graduates' Reception will be available on the Photo Gallery page soon.
Dr. Tiersch Named as Chair of the USDA
National Genetic Resources Advisory Council
Dr. Terrence Tiersch, Professor in the School of Renewable Natural Resources and Director of the Aquatic Germplasm and Genetic Resources Center, has been named to serve as the Chair of the National Genetic Resources Advisory Council.
The Advisory Council formulates recommendations on actions and policies for the collection, maintenance and utilization of genetic resources. It also makes recommendations for coordination of genetic resources plans of several domestic and international organizations, and advises the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture and the Director of the National Genetic Resources Program (NGRP) of new and innovative approaches for conservation of genetic resources.
The NGRAC can consist of up to nine members appointed by the Secretary of Agriculture and seven or more ex-officio members. Two-thirds of the appointed members represent scientific disciplines relevant to the NGRP, and one-third represent activities relevant to the general public. Thus it is likely that each of the relevant life forms (e.g., plants, forest species, animals, aquatics, insects and microbes) is represented by an appointed scientific member.
More recently, the Council was charged with advising the U.S. Department of Agriculture on ways to ensure that the NGRP serves the needs of farmers for high quality and diverse germplasm, as well as how to develop a broad strategy for maintaining biodiversity available to agriculture and strengthening public sector breeding capacities.
Research Matters - Spring 2018
The Spring 2017 edition of Research Matters is now available. Download your copy and catch-up on happenings in School of Renewable Natural Resources.
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TOPICS INCLUDE:
- Highlights of ongoing student and faculty research projects
- RNR Scientists Investigate Factors to Guide Nesting Island Restoration
- RNR Welcomes New Wildlife Extension Specialist: Dr. Ashley M. Long
- New Instructor welcomed to RNR: Dr. Chris Reid
- What is happening in the classroom: Hands-on experience for students
- International travel experiences for Students
- Tiger Chapter Ducks Unlimited raises $100,000
- 2017-2018 Student Scholarships awarded
- Graduate Student news
Alumni News: Checking In -
Dr. Bob Blackmon, PhD '69
RNR Director 2000-2005
During 2017, I continued to make progress on my second career – art. As some of you know I am an oil painter, painting mostly Baroque-style still life. I began painting in 1973 but took a 25-year leave of absence, because of career and family. Since my retirement in 2005, I have been able to paint a lot, though never as much as I would like to.
Last year I had two very successful solo shows (three are planned for 2018) and exhibited my work in several group shows. I also continue to be represented by the Ardmore Gallery in County Waterford, Ireland. Having an invited presence there for some time now has been very rewarding and an honor for me. I am also active in the eastern New York arts community, with membership in five art organizations and serving as co-founder, officer, and board member in one of those groups.
In the spring of 2017, I had the honor of being juried into the organization, Oil Painters of America, members of which are considered to be some of the best painters of representational art in the Americas. I also do a monthly art blog. Send me your e-mail address and you can become a subscriber.
My work can be found on www.blackmonstudio.com
as well as the international website, www.dailypaintworks.com/Artists/bob-blackmon-4057. Check them out!
Probably the greatest honor of 2017 for me personally was, along with my lovely wife, Mary Beth, being able to spend a full month in Ireland. This was our fifth trip to our favorite spot on earth, and we hope to make at least five more! Come for a visit (but please, not all of you at one time!) and we can thrill or bore you with lots of art and thousands of pictures of Ireland.
A selection of Dr. Blackmon's paintings can also be viewed on our Gallery page
Bob & Mary Beth Blackmon, 21 Ahern Avenue, Troy, NY 12180, still.life.guy@gmail.com
Submerged Aquatic Vegetation Habitats
Store Significant Amounts of Organic Carbon
in Coastal Louisiana
Louisiana Agriculture Magazine, Winter 2018 edition, features research by RNR Ph.D. student, Eva Hillmann and RNR Adjunct Professor, Dr. Megan LaPeyre.
The ability of natural ecosystems to sequester significant amounts of organic carbon provides a good example of an ecosystem service that can be used in climate mitigation programs on local and regional scales. These mitigation programs may reduce the potential impact of increasing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere that are directly and indirectly driving climate change.
The capture of carbon dioxide by photosynthesis, followed by the conversion to organic carbon by plants and subsequently held in above-ground (for example in leaves, branches, stems) and below-ground biomass (such as roots) is called “blue carbon” in coastal and marine environments given their distinct conditions called “blue water.” These coastal environments potentially play a significant role in organic carbon storage because the pervasive lack of oxygen in sediments limits, for example, the decomposition of plant organic material. This low oxygen results in accumulated plant organic matter that can last from hundreds to thousands of years, depending on the level and frequency of disturbances such as hurricanes and human activities affecting these natural environments.
While organic carbon sequestration has been widely assessed in terrestrial ecosystems, limited information is available about the magnitude of ecosystem activity in many coastal and marine environments. In particular, while blue carbon in seagrass, mangrove and saltmarshes has been quantified in numerous locations over the past 15 years, little data from submerged aquatic vegetation communities exist from fresh to saline coastal environments (Figure 1, see the article).
LSU AgCenter scientists assessed the blue carbon storage capacity of submerged aquatic vegetation habitats in southeast Louisiana. Approximately 618 square miles of submerged aquatic vegetation habitat exist across this productive region, potentially representing a large, but as yet unquantified pool of organic carbon. Although the Mississippi River Delta has extensive submerged aquatic vegetation, its extent had not been determined until recently, especially across large basins located in the key areas such as Pontchartrain, Barataria and Terrebonne watersheds (Figure 2, see the article).
The researchers’ preliminary assessment revealed that blue carbon within submerged aquatic vegetation habitats can store more than 89 tons of organic carbon per acre just in the top 36 inches of sediment. Further, this organic carbon storage capacity is spatially allocated depending on the salinity gradients (fresh, intermediate, brackish, saline) and location (interior deltaic, barrier island). In particular, submerged aquatic vegetation in the Chandeleur Islands was found to sequester less than one-third of the amount of organic carbon stored at interior deltaic sites (Figure 3, see the article). Differences between the interior deltaic and barrier island sites largely reflect distinct sediment characteristics, local hydrodynamics and sediment deposition.
Specifically, sediment from the Chandeleur Islands sites has more mineral (less organic) sediment and is more affected by high-energy waves and storms in contrast to more protected interior deltaic sites. The dominant hydrodynamic environmental conditions in barriers islands could affect turnover rates and organic carbon release, resulting in less organic carbon stocks. In contrast, the high organic matter and less dynamic setting of the interior sites present conditions ideal for long-term storage, barring significant natural or human disturbance to the sediments.
Submerged aquatic vegetation habitat throughout the Mississippi River Delta represents up to 35 million tons of organic carbon storage. This is equal to or higher than other terrestrial and marine environments and contributes to improving global estimates of blue carbon in coastal environments. This storage represents a significant and as yet unaccounted for pool of stored blue carbon, particularly if these values extend beyond this region to other extensive deltaic and estuarine habitats across the region and globe. As scientists and managers work to integrate blue carbon estimates into management programs, incorporating estimates of organic carbon stocks in submerged aquatic vegetation will provide more accurate estimates of blue carbon.
Eva Hillmann is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Renewable Natural Resources; Victor H. Rivera-Monroy is an associate professor in the Department of Oceanography and Coastal Sciences; and Megan La Peyre is with the U.S. Geological Survey Fish and Wildlife Cooperative Research Unit and an adjunct professor in the School of Renewable Natural Resources.
Article by Megan K. La Payre
permalink: http://www.lsuagcenter.com/profiles/lbenedict/articles/page1520864992035-- Quick News --
RNR 4061: Marine Field Techniques in Mozambique, Africa - 2016
Get all the details of this story on our Student News page.
Study Abroad in Swaziland
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