On Thursday, September 18, @ 11am ET, join Cary Institute for a virtual scientific seminar by Dr. Matthew Schuler, Montclair State University. Schuler will discuss how urban flooding and salinization reshape the structure and function of aquatic communities in freshwater and coastal ecosystems. Drawing on multi-year research at Walker Avenue Wetlands in New Jersey, he will present data showing that flood events introduce large pulses of pollutants, particularly road salts, which disrupt ecological communities and alter microbial function.
Using a combination of shotgun metagenomics, water chemistry, and zooplankton sampling, the study examined how abiotic conditions, microbial and zooplankton diversity, and microbial functional profiles respond to flooding disturbances. While microbial communities showed taxonomic recovery, functional divergence and long-term shifts in eukaryotic community composition persisted. Dr. Schuler will also share recent findings from observational and experimental studies that examine how zooplankton tolerance to salinity is shaped by historical exposure and pollution sources. The results highlight the urgent need for urban planning and stormwater infrastructure that reduce salt loading and protect vulnerable wetlands from repeated flooding.
Free and open to all. Registration required via Eventbrite.
