The Historical and Contemporary Halophytic (Salt Tolerant) Flora of Onondaga Lake and the Montezuma Wetlands Complex
When
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 - 7:00pm
What
Talk
Where
Cornell Botanic Gardens' Nevin Center, 124 Comstock Knoll Drive, Ithaca AND Zoom/Recording
Who
Alex Petzke, Ecology Dept. (Leopold Lab), Environmental Biology, SUNY ESF
Description
Inland salt marshes are nontidal, brine-fed wetlands dominated by salt-tolerant plants.These unique wetlands are rare in the US and globally. Central New York has the greatest concentration of these wetlands in the US, but they are understudied and their flora has not been thoroughly documented in over 40 years. This talk will discuss recent dissertation research by Alex at SUNY ESF compiling a list of both present-day and historical halophyte species at Onondaga Lake and the Montezuma Wetlands Complex through field work and a survey of herbarium specimens and other sources. Despite significant habitat alteration and extirpations over time, both of the above areas support a rich and diverse halophytic flora.
(photo provided by Alex Petzke)
