Member Institutions:

• Bowling Green State U.
• Cleveland State U.
• Kent State U.
• Medical College of Ohio
• Miami U.
• The Ohio State U.
• Ohio U.
• University of Cincinnati
• University of Toledo
• Wright State U.
• Youngstown State U.

Research Interests

My research interests include both laboratory and field investigations of the ecology of plants in extreme environments in an effort to select plants which are suitable for phytoremediation. I have successfully used native halophyte plants to reclaim salt contaminated soils in Ohio, Oklahoma, and Texas. A joint project with Exxon biologists at a site near Houston, TX. has been highly successful. The content of sodium in the soil decreased by 65% two years after planting with salt- accumulating plants.

A current undergraduate research project is focusing on the ability of Paulownia tomentosa, the Empress tree, to accumulate lead and other heavy metals under acidic soil conditions. This tree is currently being utilized in restoration projects around the country because of its ability to thrive in heavily contaminated soils. However, it is not clear if the plant survives by selectively excluding the heavy metals or by accumulating and sequestering them in less sensitive plant tissues.

Related studies include ongoing restoration work at Fernald, a former DOE uranium enrichment plant near Oxford, Ohio. I am currently investigating the accumulation of uranium and other heavy metals in wood tissue of native deciduous tree species in order to determine if the amount of uptake is correlated with soil contamination. Permanent plots will also be established on reclaimed areas in an effort to monitor restoration activities.

Selected References

• Keiffer, C.H. and I.A. Ungar. 1997. The Effect of Extended Exposure to Hypersaline Conditions on the Germination of Five Inland Halophyte Species. American Journal of Botany 84: 104-111.
• Keiffer, C.H. and I.A. Ungar. 1997. The Effect of Density and Salinity on Shoot Biomass and Ion Accumulation of Five Inland Halophytes. Canadian Journal of Botany 75: 96-107.
• Keiffer, C.H. and I.A. Ungar. 1997. (In press) Germination and Establishment of Halophytes on Brine Effected Soils. Journal of Applied Ecology
• Keiffer, C.H. and I.A. Ungar. 1997. (In press) The Effect of Competition and Edaphic Conditions on the Establishment of Halophytes on Brine Effected Soils. Ecological Engineering
• Keiffer, C.H. and I.A. Ungar. 1995. Germination Responses of Halophytic Seeds Exposed to Prolonged Hypersaline Conditions. In M.A. Khan and I.A. Ungar. (eds.) Biology of Salt Tolerant Plants. Dept. of Botany, University of Karachi. pp. 43-50.
• Keiffer, C.H., B.C. McCarthy, and I.A. Ungar. 1994. The Effect of Waterlogging on the Growth and Survival of Salicornia europaea L., an Inland Halophyte. Ohio Journal of Science 3: 70-73.
• Ungar, I.A., F. Bryan, J. Adams, and C.H. Keiffer. 1994. Eleocharis parvula (R. & S.) Link., a New Species Record for the Flora of Ohio. Ohio Journal of Science 3: 74.

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