Hiram College Students and Professors Study
Addition to title.
Hiram, OH (09/22/2025) — Two students working at the James H. Barrow Biological Field Station traveled to Kemp Natural Resources Station in Wisconsin at the end of August for a workshop on Sphagnum mosses. Sarah Culliton '26 and Lily Katz '28 have been part of a research project at Hiram College's Northwoods Field Station studying pollinator networks in bogs, led by Dr. Mike Cunningham-Minnick, Dennis J. Taylor visiting professor of forest ecosystem studies, Dr. Jessie Lanterman-Novotny, undergraduate research advisor at the Field Station, and Zack Fox, sustainability coordinator and land stewardship manager. Bogs are unique habitats where the surface is covered entirely in Sphagnum moss (AKA peat moss), creating wet, low-oxygen, and low-nutrient conditions. The moss creates an environment that hosts rare and unique plants (we have five species of carnivorous plant and four orchids at the Northwoods Field Station!) and is also incredibly valuable for storing carbon from the atmosphere. But it's not just enough to say Sphagnum moss - we encountered several unique species as we walked across the bog, each of which can tell us about the varying environmental conditions in that habitat.
Sarah and Lily got high-level training in Sphagnum moss identification from expert bryologists. Over three days, they spent time in lectures, looking under the microscope, and collecting specimens in the peatland habitats in the area. They learned everything about the mosses, from their identification to their genetics, their habitat preferences, and their ecological importance. These identification skills will support the existing research project while opening new project opportunities. Sarah, for example, is already applying her new skills by documenting Sphagnum species for Summit MetroParks, something lacking from their current monitoring. Lily will be taking data from our project, aided by her new knowledge, to present at the Midwest Fish & Wildlife Conference. And our projects at the Northwoods Field Station will be able to explore new avenues, studying moss diversity, water chemistry dynamics, and ecosystem processes at different scales. Perhaps surprisingly, Sphagnum moss exists in a rapidly expanding world of science - species definitions are being revised based on new genomic data, their relationships with microbes are being explored, and the use of the peat mosses for ecological restoration is becoming more important than ever.
Beyond the knowledge gained, it was a great opportunity for our students to meet professionals in the field. "I had the chance to meet an incredible variety of people," Lily said. "It was so valuable to learn about different career paths, experiences, and opportunities in this area of work and others." We're excited to see these two and the other students involved in the project gain valuable experiences and expand their knowledge base as they prepare for careers in the natural world.
Hiram College Faculty
Taylor Cook, cookta@hiram.eduShare this Story
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