Seminar

When: December 5, 2024 --- 11:00-12:00

Where: Room D143 (aquarium room), Kreutzwaldi 5, Eesti Maaűlikool,

“BIOGEOCHEMISTRY IN SEAGRASS SEDIMENTS AT JOBOS BAY NATIONAL ESTUARINE RESEARCH RESERVE (PUERTO RICO)”

Dr. Troy R. Mutchler, Assistant Professor of Biology, Kennesaw State University, USA

Dr. Troy Mutchler is an aquatic botanist studying the intersections of marine seagrasses and biogeochemistry. Dr. Mutchler completed a Bachelor of Science in Biology at Pennsylvania State University (USA), a Master of Science in Biology at the University of Oregon (USA), a PhD in Biological Sciences at Mississippi State University (USA), and Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Texas at Austin, Marine Science Institute (USA). Dr. Mutchler is currently an Assistant Professor of Biology at Kennesaw State University (Georgia, USA).

Current research in Dr. Mutchler’s lab is centered on understanding biogeochemical cycles in sediments underlying native seagrass (Thalassia testudinum) beds that are under stress from an invasive seagrass (Halophila stipulacea). This work is being conducted in the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (Puerto Rico, Caribbean Sea). Consequences of the native seagrass being replaced by the invasive seagrass may include changes in carbon and nitrogen burial, decomposition, and transformation, as well as ecosystem function, such as providing habitat and nursery grounds for economically important fish and shellfish, and protected/endangered species (e.g., sea turtles, manatees). Climate change and eutrophication are contributing factors for these ecosystem changes, and understanding the resilience of these sensitive systems to contemporary stressors is crucial for their conservation and management.