Recent Research Projects
Soil Studies
2022-2023: Melanie Medina, a graduate student at the department of plant pathology at OSU, is performing a study under the supervision of Dr. Soledad Benitez. This project focuses on the effect of fungal communities from soil on soybean cyst nematode infestation in a greenhouse experiment. She takes soils from fields with different weed management and compares the potential of their fungal communities in influencing the infection potential of the nematode. While she has used soil from various fields with agricultural weed management, she also uses soil from the prairie as it has a high diversity of plants and in turn fungi. It allows her to see differences in how the nematode responds to fungal communities that are assembled in the absence of their primary host. Some results from the earlier phase of study show that soybeans planted on growth media amended with prairie soil had significantly higher root biomass when compared with two out of the other three soil treatments which were from agricultural production fields. This effect held true regardless of SCN inoculation. The second round of tests includes autoclaving of the field soils as a factor to determine if the microbes of the soil are the primary drivers of this effect.
Is our Restored Prairie like a natural one?
2000: Shauna Price, an undergraduate student at OSU conducted a study to determine if the arthropods (spiders, beetles) occurring on our prairie were similar to natural remnant prairies of the Sandusky Plains. The reconstructed prairie on the Marion Campus of The Ohio State University was established in 1977. Since then restoration has focused on plants. Animals on the site have recolonized without active management. Spider assemblages were sampled in 2000 and compared to those sampled at the time on 2 remnant prairies and 2 old fields. Pitfall traps and sweep nets were used for sampling. In 2000, spiders (n = 1,541) representing 94 species were captured; 91% of these were captured with pitfall traps. The restored Marion Campus Prairie was inhabited by an assemblage of spiders resembling those on nearby remnant prairies and old fields.
Publications
Bradley, R.A., Price, S.L., Hickman, W.L. and R.A. Klips. 2020 Passive re-colonization of the spider assemblage on an Ohio restored tall grass prairie compared to nearby remnant prairies and old fields. Ohio Journal of Science, 120(2):2-13.
Link: Bradley et al 2009 Passive Re-colonization Spider Assemblage
Huang, J.C., Mitsch, W.J. and Zhang, L. 2008. Ecological restoration design of a stream on a college campus in central Ohio. Ecological Engineering (35) 329-340.
Link: Huang 2008 Ecological Restoration Design
Klips. R.A. 2004. Using newly developed analytical tools to compare a restored prairie with a remnant in Ohio. Ecological Restoration (22) 99-105.
Link: Klips 2004 Using Newly Developed
Mitsch, W.J., Zhang, L. and Huang, J.C. 2007. On-Campus Stream and Wetland Restoration Plan for The Ohio State University at Marion,” (Technical Report by Wilma H. Schiermeier Olentangy River Wetland Research Park of The Ohio State University School of Environment and Natural Resources). Project Number OSU-07-0091, Facilities Operations and Development.
Link: Mitsch et al 2007 On-Campus Stream and Wetland