What effect this increase may have on plants and animals is unknown. The researchers at SERC are trying to find an answer by studying what elevated CO2 does to two types of plants in a marsh. Too much nitrogen in Bay waters causes tremendous algae growth. When the algae die, this causes a depletion of oxygen which leads to fish kills. They also measure the uptake of nitrogen by riparian forests and study how these forests work to filter out pollutants.
Marshes are very productive ecosystems used by a great variety of animals.
SERC researchers study the factors influencing marsh productivity and the effects marshes have on tidal water quality. Phytoplankton use sunlight to produce food. These questions are being studied by SERC scientists. Long-term changes in the vegetation of the Rhode River watershed are being documented by SERC researchers. What factors control growth, what causes death, and how plants respond to disturbances in the forest are among the questions addressed.