Curtis J. Richardson

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Professor of Resource Ecology (primary appt: Nicholas School of the Environment) and Director

Curtis J. Richardson is Professor of Resource Ecology and founding Director of the Duke University Wetland Center in the Nicholas School of the Environment. Dr. Richardson earned his degrees from the State University of New York and the University of Tennessee. His research interests are in the area of applied ecology and are centered on wetlands ecology and restoration. The objectives of his research are to utilize ecological principles to develop new approaches to environmental problem solving. The goal of his research is to provide predictive models and approaches to aid in the management of ecosystems. His research has focused on long-term ecosystem responses to large-scale perturbations such as nutrient additions, hydrologic alterations and trace metal effects in such areas as the Everglades and the marshes of Iraq. More recently he and his graduate students have focused on the development of indicators of ecological thresholds. His specific area of research is biogeochemistry with a focus interest in phosphorus nutrient dynamics in ecosystems. Major research efforts have focused on wetlands as nutrient sinks and transformers. Currently funded NSF research is testing the concept of differential nutrient limitation (DNL) as a mechanism to overcome N or P limitations across trophic levels. Other funded research activities in his lab include: 1) The effects of climate change on invasive species in wetlands, 2) restoration of wetland plant communities and the effects of diversity on regional water quality and nutrient biogeochemical cycles, 3) development of ecosystem metrics as indices of wetland restoration success, 4) the development of ecological thresholds along environmental gradients, 5) effects and cycling of nanomaterials in wetland ecosystems, and 6) the development of an outdoor wetland research and teaching laboratory on Duke Campus. He oversees the main analytical lab in NSOE, which is open to students and faculty. Dr. Richardson has been listed in Who's™ Who in Science annually since 1989 and was elected President of the Society of Wetland Scientists in 1987-88. He has served on many editorial review committees for peer-reviewed scientific journals, and he is a past Chair of the Nicholas School Division of Environmental Sciences and Policy. Dr. Richardson is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Society of Wetland Scientists, and the Soil Science Society of America.

Contact Information:
  • Office Location: A219a Lev Sci Res Ctr
  • Office Phone: (919) 613-8006, (919) 613-8009
  • Email Address: Email address for Curtis J. Richardson
Education:

PhD EcologyUniversity of Tennessee1972
BS BiologyState University of New York1966

Curriculum Vitae
Research Interests:

Dr. Richardson's research interests are in the area of applied ecology and are centered on wetlands ecology and restoration. The objectives of his research are to utilize ecological principles to develop new approaches to environmental problem solving. The goal of his research is to provide predictive models and approaches to aid in the management of ecosystems. His research has focused on long-term ecosystem responses to large-scale perturbations such as nutrient additions, hydrologic alterations and trace metal effects in such areas as the Everglades and the marshes of Iraq. More recently he and his graduate students have focused on the development of indicators of ecological thresholds. His specific area of research is biogeochemistry with a focus interest in phosphorus nutrient dynamics in ecosystems. Major research efforts have focused on wetlands as nutrient sinks and transformers. Currently funded NSF research is testing the concept of differential nutrient limitation (DNL) as a mechanism to overcome N or P limitations across trophic levels in ecosystems. Other funded research activities in his lab include: 1) The effects of climate change on invasive species in wetlands, 2) restoration of wetland plant communities and the effects of diversity on regional water quality and nutrient biogeochemical cycles, 3) development of ecosystem metrics as indices of wetland restoration success, 4) the development of ecological thresholds along environmental gradients, 5) effects and cycling of nanomaterials in wetland ecosystems, and 6) the development of an outdoor wetland research and teaching laboratory on Duke Campus.

Specialties:

wetland ecology
biogeochemistry
coastal zone management
ecology
environmental chemistry
soil science
water quality

Awards, Honors, and Distinctions:

  • William H. Patrick, Jr. Memorial Lectureship, Soil Science Society of America, 2009
  • Fellow, Society of Wetland Scientists, 2006
  • National Wertlands Award:Wetland Scientist of the Year, 2006
  • SUNY Distinguished Alumni Award, 2006
  • Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 2001
  • Fellow, Soil Science Society of America, 2000
  • Who's Who in Science, 1989-, 1989
  • American Men and Women of Science, 1986-, 1986

Courses Taught:
  • ENVIRON 812.01 - WETLANDS ECOLOGY/MGMNT

Representative Publications: (More Publications)
    • C.J. Richardson, Pocosins: Evergreen shrub bogs of the southeast (Accepted, 2011).
    • C.J. Richardson, The status of Mesopotamian marsh restoration in Iraq: A case study of transboundary water issues and internal water allocation problems. (2010), pp. 59-72 [pdf].
    • C.J. Richardson, The Everglades Experiments: Lessons for Ecosystem Restoration (2008), pp. 698.
    • Flanagan, N., and C.J. Richardson, A multi-scale approach to prioritize wetland restoration for watershed-level water quality, Wetlands Ecology and Management, vol 18 (December, 2010), pp. 695–706 [pdf] [abs].
    • Richardson, C.J., and P. Vaithiyanathan, Biogeochemical Dynamics II. Cycling and storage of phosphorus in wetlands. (2009).
    • C.J. Richardson, The Everglades: North America’s subtropical wetland., Wetlands Ecology and Management, vol 18 (October, 2010), pp. 517–542 [pdf] [abs].
    • J. Vymazal & C.J. Richardson, The relationship between soil, water nutrients and biomass of Cladium jamaicense and Typha latifolia in the northern Everglades (2003).
    • J.M. Unghire, A.E. Sutton-Grier, N.E. Flanagan, and C.J. Richardson, Spatial impacts and wetland restoration on riparian soil properties in the North Carolina Piedmont, Restoration Ecology (2010) [pdf] [abs].
    • C.J. Richardson & K. Nunnery, Ecological functional assessment (EFA): A new approach to determining wetland health (2001), pp. 95-112.
    • Sutton-Grier, A.E., M.A. Kenney, and C.J. Richardson, Examining the relationship between ecosystem structure and function using structural equation modeling: A case study examining denitrification potential in restored wetland soils., Ecological Modelling, vol 221 no. 5 (2010), pp. 761–768 [pdf] [abs].
    • C.J. Richardson & J. Vymazal, Sampling macrophytes in wetlands (Chapter 14) (2001), pp. 297-338.
    • Bernhardt, E.S., B.P. Colman, M.F. Hochella, Jr., B.J. Cardinale, R.M. Nisbet, C.J. Richardson, and L. Yin, An ecological perspective on nanomaterial impacts in the environment, Journal of Environmental Quality no. 39 (2010), pp. 1954-1965 [abs].
    • Bruland, G.L., C.J. Richardson, W.L. Daniels, Microbial and geochemical responses to organic matter amendments in a created wetland, Wetlands (2009) (29 (4):1153-1165.) .
    • Osland, M.J., J.W. Pahl, and C.J. Richardson, Native bamboo (Arundinaria gigantean) establishment and growth after the removal of an invasive non-native shrub (Ligustrum sinense): implications for restoration, Castanea (2009) (74 (3):247-258.) .
    • C.J. Richardson, Wetlands of Mass Destruction, Environmental Forum (2009) (26 (4)36-41.) .
    • Sundareshwar, P.V., C J. Richardson, R.A Gleason, P.J. Pellechia, and S. Honomichl, Nature versus nurture: Functional assessment of restoration effects on wetland services using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Geophysical Research Letters (2009).
    • Sutton-Grier, A.E., M. Ho, and C.J. Richardson, Organic amendments improve soil conditions and denitrification in a restored riparian wetland, Wetlands (2009).
    • Hartman, W.H., C.J. Richardson, R. Vilgalys, and G.L. Bruland., Environmental and anthropogenic controls over bacterial communities in wetland soils, PNAS, vol 105 no. 46 (2008), pp. 17842-17847.
    • Richardson, C.J. and N. A. Hussain, Restoring the Garden of Eden: An Ecological Assessment of the Marshes of Iraq, BioScience, vol 56 (2006), pp. 477-489.
    • Bruland, G.L., and C.J. Richardson, An assessment of the phosphorus retention capacity of wetlands in the Painter Creek Watershed, Minnesota USA, Water, Air, and Soil Pollution, vol 171 (2006), pp. 169-184.
    • Bruland, G.L., and C.J. Richardson, Comparison of soil organic matter in created, retored and paired natural wetlands in North Carolina, Wetlands Ecology and Management, vol 14 (2006), pp. 245-251.
    • C.J. Richardson, P. Reiss, N.A. Hussain, A.J. Alwash & D.J. Pool, The restoration potential of the Mesopotamian marshes of Iraq, Science, vol 307 (2005), pp. 1307-1311.
    • P. Benzing & C.J. Richardson, CaCO3 Causes Underestimation of NaOH Extractable Phosphorus in Sequential Fractionations, Soil Science, vol 170 no. 10 (2005), pp. 802-809.
    • G.L. Bruland & C.J. Richardson, Hydrologic, edaphic, and vegetative responses to Microtopographic reestablishment in a restored wetland, Restoration Ecology, vol 13 no. 3 (2005), pp. 1-9.
    • G.L. Bruland & C.J. Richardson, Spatial variability of soil properties in created, restored, and paired natural wetlands, Soil Science Society of America Journal, vol 69 (2005), pp. 273-284.
    • R.S. King, C.J. Richardson, D.L. Urban & E.A. Romanowicz, Spatial dependency of vegetation–Environment Linkages in an anthropogenically influenced wetland ecosystem, Ecosystems, vol 7 (2004), pp. 75-97.