Welcome to the Wetland Plant & Restoration Lab at ODU
Wetlands are incredibly valuable ecosystems! Worldwide, wetlands improve water quality, sequester and store atmospheric carbon, protect shorelines from erosion and storm surge, and provide crucial habitat for thousands of species of plants and animals. Unfortunately, wetlands are threatened worldwide and a large percentage of these systems have been lost. Our lab's research focuses on understanding how wetland ecosystems, particularly plants, respond to environmental change and stressors in a context that informs restoration, management, and conservation. Our work ranges from coastal marshes and mangroves to freshwater swamps at scales ranging from the organism (ecophysiology) to community/regional-level (community ecology).
The Wetland Plant & Restoration Lab is led by Assistant Professor Dr. Taylor M. Sloey in the Department of Biological Sciences at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia USA.
Wetlands are incredibly valuable ecosystems! Worldwide, wetlands improve water quality, sequester and store atmospheric carbon, protect shorelines from erosion and storm surge, and provide crucial habitat for thousands of species of plants and animals. Unfortunately, wetlands are threatened worldwide and a large percentage of these systems have been lost. Our lab's research focuses on understanding how wetland ecosystems, particularly plants, respond to environmental change and stressors in a context that informs restoration, management, and conservation. Our work ranges from coastal marshes and mangroves to freshwater swamps at scales ranging from the organism (ecophysiology) to community/regional-level (community ecology).
The Wetland Plant & Restoration Lab is led by Assistant Professor Dr. Taylor M. Sloey in the Department of Biological Sciences at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia USA.
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Ecophysiology: Wetland Drivers & Plant Performance
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Community Response to
Ecosystem Change 
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Restoration &
Management 
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We use a variety of techniques to measure plant functional traits and plant response to ecological drivers.
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We use field based studies at larger landscape scales to understand wetland community response to environmental drivers and change over time.
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Our lab's research is problem-focused and employs basic science to inform ecosystem management and improve restoration and conservation efforts.
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LAB NEWS:
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Lab featured in chesapeake quarterly.Our lab's research on nursery production practices to acclimate Spartina spp. to salinity and flooding stress was featured in the June 2025 issue of Chesapeake Quarterly. Read the full article here.
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KAITLYN POUNDERS AWARDED NSF GRFP HONORABLE MENTIONLab MS student, Kaitlyn Pounders, was among three graduate students in the Department of Biological Sciences to have earned honorable mentions for the 2025 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. See the full article celebrating her achievement here: https://www.odu.edu/sci/article/three-graduate-students-earn-honorable-mentions-for-national-science-foundation
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New native seed library in Norfolk aims to help spread local wetlands, boost biodiversity (Local NPR)New native seed library in Norfolk aims to help spread local wetlands, boost biodiversity. Officials now seek to boost not only the amount but also the biodiversity of plants used in Hampton Roads. To that end the nonprofit partnered with Old Dominion University’s Wetland Plant & Restoration Lab to study species’ propagation methods.
https://www.whro.org/environment/2025-03-28/new-native-seed-library-in-norfolk-aims-to-help-spread-local-wetlands-boost-biodiversity |
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KORI CARR Awarded nsf grfpBiological Sciences graduate student Kori Carr was awarded a 2024 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship. The grant totals $159,000, which will support her financially through her graduate degree, giving her the stability to pursue her passion of wetland plant ecology.
https://www.odu.edu/article/biological-sciences-masters-student-earns-159000-national-science-foundation-graduate |
Photo: Katherine Hafner, 04 June 2023
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Swampnado PROJECT FEATURED ON WHRO (LOCAL NPR)."Taylor Sloey and Erik Yando first arrived at the western side of the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge two years ago as volunteers. They were there to help boost the environment by planting Atlantic white cedar trees. But they soon stumbled across something much more interesting: a massive swath of the swamp damaged by a storm."
Read more of Katherine Hafner's WHRO piece here: |
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Biology Ph.D. Student Nets Virginia Sea Grant 2022 Graduate Research Fellowship
"Hildebrandt is one of only seven recipients from across the commonwealth for this year's competitive research award. Virginia Sea Grant will fund Hildebrandt for two years beginning in fall 2022. As part of her fellowship, she will create a database of living shoreline projects in Virginia and evaluate living shoreline performance over time."
Read full article HERE. |
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STRAITS TIMES: Sunlight vital for mangrove seedlings to survive: Yale-NUS study
STRAITS TIMES in Singapore recently featured the findings of Sloey et al. (2022) study on the roles of light and hydrology on mangrove survival to improve mangrove restoration. Additionally, the article gives a shout-out to our ongoing work with the LUMPUR project (Long-Term Urban Mangrove Protection, Understanding and Rehabilitation project).
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/environment/sunlight-vital-for-mangrove-seedlings-to-survive-yale-nus-study |
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The Virginia Pilot: Using oysters to fight erosion: Along the Nansemond River, reef-based shorelines are being tested
Wetland Plant & Restoration Lab PhD student Sierra Hildebrandt was recently featured in an article discussing the use of living shorelines to protect Virginia's coastal communities while improving water quality. Our lab is collaborating with ODU's Dr. Erik Yando, the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, and the Nansemond River Preservation Alliance to study oyster recruitment and marsh protection at living shoreline sites along the Nansemond River. Read the full article here: https://tinyurl.com/cytb3pkp |
Funding to establish Singapore's first long term mangrove monitoring system:
Our interdisciplinary research team (Yale-NUS, NUS, ODU) was recently awarded a Tier I seed grant to support the LUMPUR Project- Long-Term Urban Mangrove Protection, Understanding and Rehabilitation. The LUMPUR Project seeks to characterize Singapore’s remaining mangrove forests in terms of structure and function and identify barriers to natural mangrove regeneration on a species-specific level. This 2-year project will hire two full time research assistants beginning in October 2020.
Our interdisciplinary research team (Yale-NUS, NUS, ODU) was recently awarded a Tier I seed grant to support the LUMPUR Project- Long-Term Urban Mangrove Protection, Understanding and Rehabilitation. The LUMPUR Project seeks to characterize Singapore’s remaining mangrove forests in terms of structure and function and identify barriers to natural mangrove regeneration on a species-specific level. This 2-year project will hire two full time research assistants beginning in October 2020.
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Channel News Asia - Carbon ConundrumChannel News Asia featured the work of Drs. Dan Friess (NUS), Erik Yando (ODU, NUS), and Taylor Sloey (ODU, Yale-NUS) in their documentary on carbon. This team is using field and laboratory techniques to quantify carbon stored and fluxes through Singapore's coastal mangrove forest and soils.
Watch the full documentary here: Catch us starting at 41:00 |
