Merritt R. Turetsky Assistant Professor of Plant Biology Ph.D.(University of Alberta) Department of Plant Biology Michigan State University East Lansing, MI 48824-1312 USA Phone: (517) 353-5554 Fax: (517) 353-1926 E -mail: mrt@msu.edu

Research:

My work focuses on ecosystem function in wetlands and boreal landscapes. In particular, I am interested in the mechanisms that regulate ecosystem development and long-term carbon sequestration, and ecosystem recovery from stresses and disturbances such as climate change, enhanced N deposition, and fire. Following a bottom-up approach, I believe that understanding the fate of soil C pools requires knowledge of what kind of carbon plants are utilizing and storing, because this will largely determine the chemistry of litter and surface soil layers. From a top-down perspective, however, I also explore physiognomic and climatic controls on the fate of ecosystem C pools. I tend to use detailed fractionation of organic matter quality combined with whole-ecosystem studies, sampling across gradients, and remote sensing approaches to address questions at multiple scales. My work in peatlands often utilizes paleoecological techniques for retrospective analyses. Below are some of the specific projects that I currently am involved in:

Teaching:

• FW412 Wetland Ecosystem Management

Selected Recent Publications:

• Turetsky, M.R., S. Manning, and R.K. Wieder. 2004. Dating recent peat deposits. Wetlands 24: 324-356
• Turetsky, M.R. 2003. Bryophytes in carbon and nitrogen cycling. Invited essay for New Frontiers in Bryology and Lichenology. The Bryologist 106: 395-409
• Turetsky, M.R., R.K. Wieder, L.A. Halsey, and D.H. Vitt. 2002. Current disturbance and the diminishing peatland carbon sink. Geophysical Research Letters 29: 10.1029/2001GL014000
• Turetsky, M.R., R.K. Wieder, and D.H. Vitt. 2002. Boreal peatland C fluxes under varying permafrost regimes. Soil Biology and Biochemistry 34: 907-912
• Turetsky, M.R. and R.K. Wieder. 2001. A direct, field approach to quantifying organic matter lost as a result of peatland wildfire. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 31: 363-366

Current Funding:

• National Science Foundation, Ecosystems Program. Climatic controls on wetland carbon balance in interior boreal Alaska: an experimental manipulation of thermal and moisture regimes. PI: McGuire (University of Alaska-Fairbanks), co-Is: Turetsky and Harden (USGS)
• NASA. Wildfire consumption of ground-layer organic matter in North American boreal forests and peatlands: implications for atmospheric trace gas emissions and long-term soil carbon storage. Co-PIs Kasischke (University of Maryland) and Turetsky; co-Is McGuire (University of Alaska-Fairbanks) and Hewson (University of Maryland)