CWU Natural Science Seminar Series Continues Friday

March 7, 2007

Ellensburg, Wash. - - Within stream ecosystems, nitrogen is a nutrient that can limit biological activity. Central Washington University alumnus Clay Arango is now leading doctoral research examining how land use practices influence nitrogen and stream ecology in agricultural and urban areas.

"We found that land use practices can shift nitrogen metabolism from pathways that permanently remove nitrogen to pathways that temporarily store nitrogen," he says. "Therefore, land use practices common in the Midwest may decrease the ability of streams to reduce nitrogen export to downstream ecosystems."

Arango will discuss his research during a lecture, titled "Whole-stream Nitrogen Metabolism in Mixed Land-Use Streams," at the next CWU winter quarter natural science seminar. It's slated for Friday, March 9, at 4 p.m. in Science Building 147.

His research involves the study of nitrogen transformations, collectively called "nitrogen metabolism," according to Arango.

"Although small streams can rapidly transform and retain nutrients, they export nitrogen that exceeds processing capacity to downstream ecosystems where it ultimately causes anoxia (oxygen deficiency) and fish kills in estuaries," Arango says.

A native of Ellensburg, Arango, who completed his bachelor's degree in geography and master's degree in resource management at Central, is now finishing his Ph.D. in biological sciences at the University of Notre Dame. He also has served as an adjunct instructor at CWU.

For more information about his free, public presentation, sponsored by the university's biological sciences department, or for persons of disability to arrange for reasonable accommodation, call 509-963-2731, or (for the hearing impaired) TDD 509-963-2143.

Contact: Dr. Dan Beck (509-963-2886/fax 509-963-2730/e-mail: beckd@cwu.edu)