Carol A. Johnston

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Carol Arlene Johnston is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Natural Resource Management at South Dakota State University. [1] Johnston is known for her research on beaver ecology and wetlands. [2]

Contents

Education

Johnston earned a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources from Cornell University. She then went on to earn a Master of Science in Land Resources and Soil Science, both degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Johnston also received her PhD in Soil Science from University of Wisconsin-Madison. [1] [2]

Career and research

Johnston began her career in wetland science as an aerial photo interpreter for the New York City wetlands inventory. [2] Johnston is currently a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Natural Resources Management at South Dakota State University. [1] While at SDSU, Johnston has served as the director of the Center for Biocomplexity studies. [1] Johnston became the first female president of the Society of Wetland Scientists in 1992, before serving on the EPA Science Advisory Board as a member of the Ecological Processes and Effects Committee. [1] [2] She sat as a member of the National Research Council's Committee on Wetland Delineation and Mitigation in 1995 and 2001. [2] In 2000, Johnston became the Chair of the Wetland Soils Division of the Soil Science Society of America. [1] [2]

Johnston's research interests focus on the use of plants as indicators of ecological health, the effects of wetlands on water quality, beaver ecology, and remote sensing of wetlands and watersheds. [1] One of Johnston's major contributions is her book Beavers: Boreal Ecosystem Engineers which focused on landscape and ecosystem alterations by beavers. [3] Johnston collaborated with researchers across the country to prepare a brief in support of Clean Water Rule. [4]

Awards and honors

Selected publications

Johnston, C. A. (2017). Beavers: Boreal Ecosystem Engineers. Springer, New York. [3]

Johnston, C.A. (1991). Sediment and nutrient retention by freshwater wetlands: effects on surface water quality. Critical Reviews in Environmental Control, 21 (5/6), 491-565. [8]

Johnston, C.A., Detenbeck, N. E., and Niemi, G. J. (1990). The cumulative effect of wetlands on stream water quality and quantity: a landscape approach. Biogeochemistry,10, 105-141. [9]

Johnston, C.A. et al. (2004). Carbon cycling in soil. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 2, 522-528. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limnology</span> Science of inland aquatic ecosystems

Limnology is the study of inland aquatic ecosystems. The study of limnology includes aspects of the biological, chemical, physical, and geological characteristics of fresh and saline, natural and man-made bodies of water. This includes the study of lakes, reservoirs, ponds, rivers, springs, streams, wetlands, and groundwater. Water systems are often categorized as either running (lotic) or standing (lentic).

Freshwater ecosystems are a subset of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. They include lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, springs, bogs, and wetlands. They can be contrasted with marine ecosystems, which have a larger salt content. Freshwater habitats can be classified by different factors, including temperature, light penetration, nutrients, and vegetation. There are three basic types of freshwater ecosystems: Lentic, lotic and wetlands. Freshwater ecosystems contain 41% of the world's known fish species.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Biogeochemistry</span> Study of chemical cycles of the earth that are either driven by or influence biological activity

Biogeochemistry is the scientific discipline that involves the study of the chemical, physical, geological, and biological processes and reactions that govern the composition of the natural environment. In particular, biogeochemistry is the study of biogeochemical cycles, the cycles of chemical elements such as carbon and nitrogen, and their interactions with and incorporation into living things transported through earth scale biological systems in space and time. The field focuses on chemical cycles which are either driven by or influence biological activity. Particular emphasis is placed on the study of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, iron, and phosphorus cycles. Biogeochemistry is a systems science closely related to systems ecology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ecosystem ecology</span> Study of living and non-living components of ecosystems and their interactions

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fire ecology</span> Study of fire in ecosystems

Fire ecology is a scientific discipline concerned with natural processes involving fire in an ecosystem and the ecological effects, the interactions between fire and the abiotic and biotic components of an ecosystem, and the role as an ecosystem process. Many ecosystems, particularly prairie, savanna, chaparral and coniferous forests, have evolved with fire as an essential contributor to habitat vitality and renewal. Many plant species in fire-affected environments require fire to germinate, establish, or to reproduce. Wildfire suppression not only eliminates these species, but also the animals that depend upon them.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquatic ecosystem</span> Ecosystem in a body of water

An aquatic ecosystem is an ecosystem formed by surrounding a body of water, in contrast to land-based terrestrial ecosystems. Aquatic ecosystems contain communities of organisms that are dependent on each other and on their environment. The two main types of aquatic ecosystems are marine ecosystems and freshwater ecosystems. Freshwater ecosystems may be lentic ; lotic ; and wetlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rain garden</span> Runoff reducing landscaping method

Rain gardens, also called bioretention facilities, are one of a variety of practices designed to increase rain runoff reabsorption by the soil. They can also be used to treat polluted stormwater runoff. Rain gardens are designed landscape sites that reduce the flow rate, total quantity, and pollutant load of runoff from impervious urban areas like roofs, driveways, walkways, parking lots, and compacted lawn areas. Rain gardens rely on plants and natural or engineered soil medium to retain stormwater and increase the lag time of infiltration, while remediating and filtering pollutants carried by urban runoff. Rain gardens provide a method to reuse and optimize any rain that falls, reducing or avoiding the need for additional irrigation. A benefit of planting rain gardens is the consequential decrease in ambient air and water temperature, a mitigation that is especially effective in urban areas containing an abundance of impervious surfaces that absorb heat in a phenomenon known as the heat-island effect.

Soil ecology is the study of the interactions among soil organisms, and between biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment. It is particularly concerned with the cycling of nutrients, formation and stabilization of the pore structure, the spread and vitality of pathogens, and the biodiversity of this rich biological community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boreal ecosystem</span> Subarctic terrestrial ecozone

A boreal ecosystem is an ecosystem with a subarctic climate located in the Northern Hemisphere, approximately between 50° to 70°N latitude. These ecosystems are commonly known as taiga and are located in parts of North America, Europe, and Asia. The ecosystems that lie immediately to the south of boreal zones are often called hemiboreal. There are a variety of processes and species that occur in these areas as well.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beaver dam</span> Dam constructed by beavers

A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers to create a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify the natural environment in such a way that the overall ecosystem builds upon the change, making beavers a keystone species and ecosystem engineers. They build prolifically at night, carrying mud and stones with their forepaws and timber between their teeth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William J. Mitsch</span>

William Mitsch, born March 29, 1947 in Wheeling, West Virginia USA, is an ecosystem ecologist and ecological engineer who was co-laureate of the 2004 Stockholm Water Prize in August 2004 as a result of a career in wetland ecology and restoration, ecological engineering, and ecological modelling.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Carol Johnston". South Dakota State University. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Carol Johnston | ELI National Wetlands Awards". elinwa.org. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  3. 1 2 Johnston, Carol (2017). Beavers: Boreal Ecosystem Engineers. Springer International Publishing. ISBN   978-3-319-61532-5.
  4. Gardner, Royal C.; Okuno, Erin; Tai, Steph; Fennessy, M. Siobhan; Johnston, Carol A.; Otte, Marinus L.; Palmer, Margaret; Perry, James E.; Simenstad, Charles; Tanner, Benjamin R.; Tufford, Dan (2019-06-01). "Advocating for Science: Amici Curiae Brief of Wetland and Water Scientists in Support of the Clean Water Rule". Wetlands. 39 (3): 403–414. doi: 10.1007/s13157-019-01160-z . ISSN   1943-6246. S2CID   181793598.
  5. "Society Awards". Society of Wetland Scientists. Retrieved 2021-06-28.
  6. "Carol Johnston | ELI National Wetlands Awards". elinwa.org. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  7. "Past Presidents". SOCIETY OF WETLAND SCIENTISTS. Retrieved 2021-05-12.
  8. Ph.D, Carol A. Johnston (1991-01-01). "Sediment and nutrient retention by freshwater wetlands: Effects on surface water quality". Critical Reviews in Environmental Control. 21 (5–6): 491–565. doi:10.1080/10643389109388425. ISSN   1040-838X.
  9. Johnston, Carol A.; Detenbeck, Naomi E.; Niemi, Gerald J. (1990-07-01). "The cumulative effect of wetlands on stream water quality and quantity. A landscape approach". Biogeochemistry. 10 (2): 105–141. doi:10.1007/BF00002226. ISSN   1573-515X. S2CID   98747908.
  10. Johnston, Carol A.; Groffman, Peter; Breshears, David D.; Cardon, Zoe G.; Currie, William; Emanuel, William; Gaudinski, Julia; Jackson, Robert B.; Lajtha, Kate; Nadelhoffer, Knute; Nelson, David (2004). "Carbon cycling in soil". Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 2 (10): 522–528. doi:10.1890/1540-9295(2004)002[0522:CCIS]2.0.CO;2. hdl: 2027.42/117106 . ISSN   1540-9309.