We are excited to be working on Lake Mattamuskeet again!  Our research is funded by the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and is examining the factors that may influence the potential for restoration of vascular plants. Two potential limitations on restoration of plants in the lake are light availability and grazing. The project involves mapping the amount of light available in the lake for plants, conducting transplant experiments that include treatments that exclude grazers, and quantifying functional differences between areas of the lake with and without plants.

Graduate student Olivia Torano is the newest member of the Piehler lab and is shown here extracting cores with Suzanne Thompson for sediment nutrient and carbon flux measurements. Our research will provide novel information about the ecological and economic value of shallow lake plant restoration in the context of water quality. Monitoring and experimental designs are being closely coordinated with NC Wildlife Resources Commission and US Fish and Wildlife Service to ensure that the research generates actionable information for management of Mattamuskeet and other similar shallow lakes.