Wetlands Ecology, Community and Restoration Ecology

Romberg Tiburon Center
and
Department of Biology

(415) 338-3751

katboyer@sfsu.edu

Research Interests

My research is focused on the ecology and restoration of coastal habitats, primarily salt marshes and seagrass beds. I am particularly interested in how species interact to structure their environments and influence fundamental ecosystem processes such as nutrient cycling. I have a strong interest in species assemblages and processes occurring at habitat borders and the manner and extent to which adjacent habitats are linked through biotic activity and interactions. Such basic ecological research has important implications for the restoration of damaged habitats. My more applied work includes comparisons of structure and functioning (e.g., trophic interactions, nutrient dynamics) of natural and constructed habitats. I also work to develop restoration techniques and nutrient pollution indicators for estuarine and coastal waters. I work mainly with vascular plants, macroalgae, and invertebrates as well as the water and sediments on and in which they live. My work is mostly experimental, conducted in field, greenhouse, and outdoor mesocosm settings. While much of my research experience and interest is in the coastal marshes and the shallow subtidal zone in California, I work periodically in the tropics on detecting patterns in nutrient supply to coral reef and adjacent habitats and the response of herbivores to nutrient-related changes in their algal foods. I am also part of a bi-coastal team examining the relative importance of producer and consumer diversity on the functioning of marine ecosystems.

 
Selected Papers (** = graduate student)

Armitage, A. R., K. E. Boyer, R. R. Vance, and R. F. Ambrose. 2006. Restoring assemblages of salt marsh halophytes in the presence of a rapidly colonizing dominant species. Wetlands 26:667-676.

Boyer, K. E., and P. Fong. 2005. Co-occurrence of habitat-modifying invertebrates: effects on structural and functional properties of a created salt marsh. Oecologia 143:619-628.

Boyer, K. E., and P. Fong. 2005. Macroalgal-mediated transfers of water column nitrogen to intertidal sediments and salt marsh plants. Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 321:59-69.

Bruno, J. F., K. E. Boyer, J. E. Duffy, S. C. Lee, and J. S. Kertesz**. 2005. Relative effects of species identity and richness on primary production in benthic marine communities. Ecology Letters 8:1165-1174.

Boyer, K. E., P. Fong, A. R. Armitage, and R. A. Cohen.  2004.  Elevated nutrient content of macroalgae increases rates of herbivory in coral, seagrass, and mangrove habitats. Coral Reefs 23:530-538.

Fong, P., K. E. Boyer, K. Kamer, and K. A. Boyle.  2003.  Influence of initial tissue nutrient status of tropical marine algae on response to nitrogen and phosphorus additions.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 262:111-123.

Lindig-Cisneros, R., J. Desmond, K. E. Boyer, and J. B. Zedler.  2003.  Wetland restoration thresholds: can a degradation transition be reversed with increased effort?  Ecological Applications 13:193-205.

Boyer, K. E., P. Fong, R. R. Vance, and R. F. Ambrose.  2001.  Salicornia virginica in a southern California saltmarsh: seasonal patterns and a nutrient enrichment experiment.  Wetlands 21:315-326.

Fong, P., K. Kamer, K. E. Boyer, and K. A. Boyle.  2001.  Nutrient content of macroalgae with differing morphologies may indicate sources of nutrients to tropical marine systems.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 220:137-152.

Boyer, K. E., J. C. Callaway, and J. B. Zedler.  2000.  Evaluating the progress of restored cordgrass (Spartina foliosa) marshes: belowground biomass and tissue N.  Estuaries 23:711-721.

Boyer, K. E. and J. B. Zedler.  1999.  Nitrogen addition could shift plant community composition in a restored California salt marsh.  Restoration Ecology 7:74-85.

Boyer, K. E. and J. B. Zedler.  1998.  Effects of nitrogen additions on the vertical structure of a constructed cordgrass marsh.  Ecological Applications 8:692-705.

Fong, P., K. E. Boyer, and J. B. Zedler.  1998.  Developing an indicator of nutrient enrichment in coastal estuaries and lagoons using tissue nitrogen content of the opportunistic alga, Enteromorpha intestinalis (Link).  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 231:63-79.

Zedler, J. B., K. E. Boyer, G. D. Williams, and J. C. Callaway.  1998.  Creating intertidal habitat for endangered species in southern California: achievements and challenges.  In A. McComb and J. Davis, eds.  Wetlands for the Future.  Gleneagles Publishing, Adelaide, Australia.

Haltiner, J., J. B. Zedler, K. E. Boyer, G. D. Williams, and J. Callaway.  1997.  Influence of physical processes on the design, functioning and evolution of restored tidal wetlands in California (USA).  Wetlands Ecology and Management 4:73-91.

Zedler, J. B., J. Desmond, S. Phinn, B. Nyden, G. Sullivan, G. D. Williams, J. C. Callaway, K. E. Boyer, and A. Powell.  1997.  New tools for assessing coastal habitats.  Proceedings of the 1997 California and the World Oceans meeting, San Diego, California.

Boyer, K. E. and J. B. Zedler.  1996.  Damage to cordgrass by scale insects in a constructed salt marsh: effects of nitrogen additions.  Estuaries 19:1-12.

Fong, P., K. E. Boyer, J. S. Desmond, and J. B. Zedler.  1996.  Salinity stress, nitrogen competition, and facilitation: what controls seasonal succession of two opportunistic green macroalgae?  Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology 206:203-221.