Brad Hoge Ph.D., Rice University, 1994 Assistant Professor of Geology and Biology Director of HUNSTEM

Office: N-725
Email: hogeb@uhd.edu
Phone: 713-221-8289 (office)
Webpage:  http://uhd.edu/~hogeb

Research Interest:  Modeling of microfloral and faunal succession in mitigated wetlands, and microfossil taphonomy in wetland soils.

Microfloral and faunal succession in mitigated wetlands

The Greens Bayou Wetlands Mitigation Bank has been established by the Harris County Flood Control District to provide wetland mitigation for projects in Harris County that destroy wetlands as part of their development. This is required by law, and is satisfied on an acre to acre basis, but how adequately the new, mitigated, wetlands replace the function of those destroyed is not fully known.

Diatom and arcellacean communities are good indicators of succession in wetland soils. Determining community structure at the surface and at depth of various wetland soils can provide models of soil function, wetland succession and the success of mitigation efforts.

The Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge is a relatively undisturbed wetland. By comparing samples taken from areas within the Greens Bayou Wetlands Mitigation Bank and The Anahauc National Wildlife Refuge, we will be able to asses the state of mitigation efforts.

Future studies will determine if there are intermediate assemblages by examining other wetland environments situated between these two sites. By continuing to sample the taphonomic record at the GBWMB, the rate of succession and of preservation can be determined. It will also be useful to measure other environmental parameters such as eH and sedimentation rates. The succession of diatoms and arcellaceans will then be modeled using STELLA software.

Taphonomic modeling of wetland soils

The use of microfossils as paleoindicators of wetland facies is limited by taphonomic processes. By combining multiple thanatocoenoses, however, it is possible to model facies transitions across fine time scales. This research will be an extension of my dissertation which established a model of taphonomic signatures in response to sea-level fluctuations

The first step I need to take to return to this modeling effort is to determine the composition of cements used by Foraminifera. Students will obtain samples, identify bio and thanatocoenoses in the laboratory, and perform chemical analyses.

This information will be used to model the taphonomy of foraminifera. By combining these taphonomic signatures with those of diatoms and arcellaceans, a model of sea-level change can be made. I will again use STELLA to produce this model.