People | Denise M. Seliskar

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• Research Interests
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• Publications

• B.S., Biology, Bowling Green University, 1975.
• M.S., Botany, Oregon State University, 1980.
• Ph.D., Marine Studies, University of Delaware, 1986.

Halophyte Biotechnology Center

Sand dune and wetland plant physiological ecology; salt marsh and sand dune restoration; halophyte tissue culture, salt tolerance mechanisms

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John L. Gallagher, Professor, (Ph.D., Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, 1971).
Research interests: Salt-tolerant plants (halophytes) - physiology, biochemistry, and biotechnology; halophyte agronomy; wetland ecology and restoration.

Tracy Elsey, Ph.D. Student (B.S., Wildlife and Fisheries, University of Vermont); (M.S., Ecology and Environmental Science, University of Louisiana Lafayette). Research interest: Nutrient and carbon cycling in salt marshes.

Jennifer Halchak, M.S. Student ( (B.S., Biology, University of Pennsylvania-Slippery Rock, 2004).  Research interest:  The agronomy of wetland plants for use on non-arable land, with a focus on growing Seashore mallow (Kosteletzkya virginica) to produce biodiesel. 

League, M.T., D.M. Seliskar, and J.L. Gallagher. 2007.  Predicting the effectiveness of Phragmites control measures using a rhizome growth potential bioassay. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 15:27-41.

Wang, J-B, D.M. Seliskar, and J.L. Gallagher. 2007.  Growth of tissue culture regenerated plants in a simulated marsh field plot: Implications for wetland creation and restoration. Ecological Engineering, 29:8-16.

League, M.T., E.P. Colbert, D.M. Seliskar, and J.L. Gallagher. 2006. Rhizome growth dynamics of native and exotic haplotypes of Phragmites australis (common reed). Estuaries and Coasts, 29:269-276.

Wang, J-B, D.M. Seliskar, M.T. League, and J.L. Gallagher. 2006. Blocking Phragmites australis reinvasion of restored marshes using plants selected from wild populations and tissue culture. Wetlands Ecology and Management, 14:539-547.

Gallagher, J.L. and D.M. Seliskar. 2006. Three Spartina sisters: Holding Delaware marshes together. Estuary News 16 (2):6-15.

Seliskar, D.M. and J.L. Gallagher. 2005. Tidal creek surface film structural and metabolic dynamics. Estuaries 28:353-363.

Wang, J., D.M. Seliskar, and J.L. Gallagher. 2005. Tissue culture and plant regeneration of the salt marsh monocots Juncus roemerianus and Juncus gerardii . In Vitro Cellular and Developmental Biology-Plant 41:274-280.

Wu, J., D.M. Seliskar, and J.L. Gallagher. 2005. The response of plasma membrane lipid composition in callus of the halophyte, Spartina patens, (poaceae) to salinity stress. American Journal of Botany 92:852-858.

Seliskar, D.M., K.E. Smart, B.T. Higashikubo, and J.L. Gallagher. 2004. Seedling sulfide sensitivity among plant species colonizing Phragmites-infested wetlands. Wetlands 24:426-433.

Wang, J., D.M. Seliskar, and J.L. Gallagher. 2004. Plant regeneration via somatic embryogenesis in the brackish wetland monocot Scirpus robustus. Aquatic Botany 79:163-174.

He, Z., C. Ruan, P. Qin, D.M. Seliskar, and J.L. Gallagher. 2003. Kosteletzkya virginica, a halophytic species with potential for agroecotechnology in Jiangsu province, China. Ecological Engineering 21:271-276.

Seliskar, D.M. 2003. The Response of Ammophila breviligulata and Spartina patens (Poaceae) to Grazing by Feral Horses on a Dynamic Mid-Atlantic Barrier Island. American Journal of Botany 90: 1038-1044.

Wang, J.B., D.M. Seliskar, and J.L. Gallagher. 2003. Tissue Culture and Plant Regeneration of Spartina alterniflora : Implication for Wetland Restoration. Wetlands 23:386-393.

Seliskar, D.M., J.L. Gallagher, D.M. Burdick, and L.M. Mutz. 2002. The regulation of ecosystem functions by ecotypic variation in the dominant plant: A Spartina alterniflora salt marsh case study. Journal of Ecology 90:1-11.

Seliskar, D.M. and J.L. Gallagher. 2000. Exploiting wild population diversity and somaclonal variation in the salt marsh grass Distichlis spicata (Poaceae) for marsh creation and restoration. American Journal of Botany 87:141-146.

Seliskar, D.M. 1998. Natural and tissue culture-generated variation in the salt marsh grass Sporobolus virginicus :  Potential selections for marsh creation and restoration. HortScience 33:622-625

Wu, J. and D.M. Seliskar. 1998. The salinity adaptation of plasma membrane H -ATPase in the salt marsh plant Spartina patens :  ATP hydrolysis and enzyme kinetics. Journal of Experimental Botany 49: 1005-1013.

Wu, J., D.M. Seliskar, and J. L. Gallagher. 1998. Stress tolerance in the marsh plant Spartina patens :  Impact of NaCl on growth and root plasma membrane lipid composition. Physiologia Plantarum 102:307-317.

Seliskar, D.M. 1995. Exploiting plant genotypic diversity for coastal salt marsh creation and restoration. In: Biology of Salt-Tolerant Plants, M.A. Khan and I.A. Ungar (Eds.), pp. 407-416. Department of Botany, University of Karachi, Pakistan.

Li, X.L., D.M. Seliskar, J. Moga, and J.L. Gallagher. 1995. Plant regeneration from callus cultures of salt marsh hay, Spartina patens, and its associated cellular-based salt tolerance. Aquatic Botany 51:103-113.

Seliskar, D.M. 1995. Coastal dune restoration: A strategy for alleviating Ammophila dieout. Restoration Ecology 3:54-60.

Seliskar, D.M. 1994. The effect of accelerated sand accretion on growth, carbohydrate reserves, and ethylene production in Ammophila breviligulata (Poaceae). American Journal of Botany 81:536-541.

Seliskar, D.M. and R.N. Huettel. 1993. Nematode involvement in the dieout of Ammophila breviligulata on the mid-Atlantic coastal dunes of the United States. Journal of Coastal Research 9:97-103.

Seliskar, D.M. 1993. Coastal dune stabilization and vegetation dieback. In : Strategies for Utilizing Salt-Affected Lands, L. Moncharoen (Ed.). Funny Publishing Limited partnership, Bangkok, Thailand. pp. 323-333.

Gallagher, J.L. and D. M. Seliskar. 1993. Selecting halophytes for agronomic value: Lessons from whole plants and tissue culture. In : Strategies for Utilizing Salt-Affected Lands, L. Moncharoen (Ed.). Funny Publishing Limited Partnership, Bangkok, Thailand. pp. 414-425.

Seliskar, D.M. 1992. Response of Ammophila breviligulata to acid rain and low soil pH. Water, Air, and Soil Pollution 63:295-303.

Seliskar, D.M. 1992. Dune vegetation. In: Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. MMcGraw Hill, New York.