Beth A Middleton, Ph. D.
Beth Middleton is a Research Ecologist at the USGS Wetland and Aquatic Research Center.
Wetland function may be altered in the future because of dynamic shifts in droughts, water extraction, water fluctuation, salinity intrusion, CO2 levels, and storm intensity. Populations of species can be extirpated especially by drought, and tree mortality is especially common at the edges of species diestribution ranges during drought. Beth Middleton examines patterns of ecosystem function along latitudinal gradients in baldcypress swamps, monsoonal wetlands, mangrove swamps, northern peatleands, prairie fens, and floodplain wetlands. She has organized symposia, written three books, and edited three special journal volumes, which support multidisciplinary comparisons and research analysis of wetland function. Other research topics include the effects of hurricanes on coastal wetlands, flood pulsing in restoration, and biodiversity loss in fens of Europe, Asia and North America. Middleton maintains a research network of baldcypress swamps (North American Baldcypress Swamp Network) and invites other researchers to work in these study sites dedicated to the study of long term function of swamps in the southeastern US.
Education and Certifications
Ph.D., Botany, Iowa State University, 1989
Advisors: van der Valk/DavisM.S., University of Minnesota Duluth, 1983
B.S., University of Wisconsin Madison, 1978
Science and Products
Species frequency dynamics in an old-field succession: Effects of disturbance, fertilization and scale
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: Synthesis and perspectives
Characterization of the habitat of Lythrum salicaria L. in floodplain forests in western Turkey—Effects on stem height and seed production
Seedling growth of Wisconsin fast plants (Brassica rapa) in field environments
Cattle grazing and its long-term effects on sedge meadows
Purple loosestrife volunteers
Latitudinal variation in carbon storage can help predict changes in swamps affected by global warming
Mechanisms for dominance in an early successional old field by the invasive non-native Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don
Use of a latitudinal gradient in bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) production to examine physiological controls of biotic boundaries and potential responses to environment change
Comparison of litter decomposition in a natural versus coal-slurry pond reclaimed as a wetland
Natural restoration basics for wetlands
Ecology and objective-based management: Case study of the Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Non-USGS Publications**
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-100X.1995.tb00099.x/abstract
www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2559700.pdf OR www.journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5248088
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Species frequency dynamics in an old-field succession: Effects of disturbance, fertilization and scale
Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: Synthesis and perspectives
Characterization of the habitat of Lythrum salicaria L. in floodplain forests in western Turkey—Effects on stem height and seed production
Seedling growth of Wisconsin fast plants (Brassica rapa) in field environments
Cattle grazing and its long-term effects on sedge meadows
Purple loosestrife volunteers
Latitudinal variation in carbon storage can help predict changes in swamps affected by global warming
Mechanisms for dominance in an early successional old field by the invasive non-native Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don
Use of a latitudinal gradient in bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) production to examine physiological controls of biotic boundaries and potential responses to environment change
Comparison of litter decomposition in a natural versus coal-slurry pond reclaimed as a wetland
Natural restoration basics for wetlands
Ecology and objective-based management: Case study of the Keoladeo National Park, Bharatpur, Rajasthan
Non-USGS Publications**
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1526-100X.1995.tb00099.x/abstract
www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/2559700.pdf OR www.journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=5248088
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.