About

Stephanie Anderson (she/they) is an Assistant Professor of Literature and Creative Writing at Duke Kunshan University, where she has been a faculty member since 2020. Her academic work centers on twentieth century poetry, small press publishing, and cultures of circulation. Anderson is an accomplished poet and author, having published three books of poetry, including If You Love Error So Love Zero through Trembling Pillow Press, as well as several chapbooks, the most recent being Bearings, published by DIAGRAM/New Michigan Press in 2024. In addition to her poetry, she has contributed to the field as an editor, preparing a forthcoming book of interviews titled Women in Independent Publishing, set to be released by the University of New Mexico Press in December 2024, and co-editing All This Thinking: The Correspondence of Bernadette Mayer & Clark Coolidge, also published by the University of New Mexico Press.

Research topics

• Biology
• Ecology
• Environmental science
• Geology
• Chemistry
• Environmental chemistry

Selected publications

• Evaluating the effects of land-use change and future climate change on vulnerability of coastal landscapes to saltwater intrusion

  UNC Libraries · 2025-09-05 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  The exposure of freshwater-dependent coastal ecosystems to saltwater is a present-day impact of climate and land-use changes in many coastal regions, with the potential to harm freshwater and terrestrial biota, alter biogeochemical cycles and reduce agricultural yields. Land-use activities associated with artificial drainage infrastructure (canals, ditches, and drains) could exacerbate saltwater exposure. However, studies assessing the effects of artificial drainage on the vulnerability of coastal landscapes to saltwater exposure are lacking. We examined the extent to which artificial drainage infrastructure has altered the potential for saltwater intrusion in the coastal plain of eastern North Carolina. Regional spatial analyses demonstrate that artificial drainages not only lower the overall elevation in coastal landscapes, but they also alter the routing and concentration of hydrological flows. Together, these factors have the potential to increase the total proportion of the landscape vulnerable to saltwater intrusion, not only in areas adjacent to drainage infrastructure but also in places where no artificial drainages exist due to large scale effects of flow rerouting. Among all land cover types in eastern North Carolina, wetlands are most vulnerable to saltwater exposure. Droughts and coastal storms associated with climate change potentially exacerbate vulnerability to saltwater facilitated by artificial drainage.

  PublisherDOI

• Surface elevation trends in natural and restored coastal forested wetlands reveal vulnerability to saltwater intrusion and sea level rise

  Research Square · 2025-06-18 · 2 citations

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Leaf Physiological Responses and Early Senescence Are Linked to Reflectance Spectra in Salt-Sensitive Coastal Tree Species

  Forests · 2024-09-17 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Salt-sensitive trees in coastal wetlands are dying as forests transition to marsh and open water at a rapid pace. Forested wetlands are experiencing repeated saltwater exposure due to the frequency and severity of climatic events, sea-level rise, and human infrastructure expansion. Understanding the diverse responses of trees to saltwater exposure can help identify taxa that may provide early warning signals of salinity stress in forests at broader scales. To isolate the impacts of saltwater exposure on trees, we performed an experiment to investigate the leaf-level physiology of six tree species when exposed to oligohaline and mesohaline treatments. We found that species exposed to 3–6 parts per thousand (ppt) salinity had idiosyncratic responses of plant performance that were species-specific. Saltwater exposure impacted leaf photochemistry and caused early senescence in Acer rubrum, the most salt-sensitive species tested, but did not cause any impacts on plant water use in treatments with <6 ppt. Interestingly, leaf spectral reflectance was correlated with the operating efficiency of photosystem II (PSII) photochemistry in A. rubrum leaves before leaf physiological processes were impacted by salinity treatments. Our results suggest that the timing and frequency of saltwater intrusion events are likely to be more detrimental to wetland tree performance than salinity concentrations.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Linking Dissolved Organic Matter Composition to Landscape Properties in Wetlands Across the United States of America

  Global Biogeochemical Cycles · 2024-05-01 · 25 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Wetlands are integral to the global carbon cycle, serving as both a source and a sink for organic carbon. Their potential for carbon storage will likely change in the coming decades in response to higher temperatures and variable precipitation patterns. We characterized the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and dissolved organic matter (DOM) composition from 12 different wetland sites across the USA spanning gradients in climate, landcover, sampling depth, and hydroperiod for comparison to DOM in other inland waters. Using absorption spectroscopy, parallel factor analysis modeling, and ultra‐high resolution mass spectroscopy, we identified differences in DOM sourcing and processing by geographic site. Wetland DOM composition was driven primarily by differences in landcover where forested sites contained greater aromatic and oxygenated DOM content compared to grassland/herbaceous sites which were more aliphatic and enriched in N and S molecular formulae. Furthermore, surface and porewater DOM was also influenced by properties such as soil type, organic matter content, and precipitation. Surface water DOM was relatively enriched in oxygenated higher molecular weight formulae representing HUP High O/C compounds than porewaters, whose DOM composition suggests abiotic sulfurization from dissolved inorganic sulfide. Finally, we identified a group of persistent molecular formulae (3,489) present across all sites and sampling depths (i.e., the signature of wetland DOM) that are likely important for riverine‐to‐coastal DOM transport. As anthropogenic disturbances continue to impact temperate wetlands, this study highlights drivers of DOM composition fundamental for understanding how wetland organic carbon will change, and thus its role in biogeochemical cycling.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Chronic Engineered Nanoparticle Additions Alter Insect Emergence and Result in Metal Flux from Aquatic Ecosystems into Riparian Food Webs

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2023-05-18 · 7 citations

  article

  Freshwater ecosystems are exposed to engineered nanoparticles (NPs) through discharge from wastewater and agricultural runoff. We conducted a 9-month mesocosm experiment to examine the combined effects of chronic NP additions on insect emergence and insect-mediated contaminant flux to riparian spiders. Two NPs (copper, gold, plus controls) were crossed by two levels of nutrients in 18 outdoor mesocosms open to natural insect and spider colonization. We collected adult insects and two riparian spider genera, Tetragnatha and Dolomedes, for 1 week on a monthly basis. We estimated a significant decrease in cumulative insect emergence of 19% and 24% after exposure to copper and gold NPs, irrespective of nutrient level. NP treatments led to elevated copper and gold tissue concentrations in adult insects, which resulted in terrestrial fluxes of metals. These metal fluxes were associated with increased gold and copper tissue concentrations for both spider genera. We also observed about 25% fewer spiders in the NP mesocosms, likely due to reduced insect emergence and/or NP toxicity. These results demonstrate the transfer of NPs from aquatic to terrestrial ecosystems via emergence of aquatic insects and predation by riparian spiders, as well as significant reductions in insect and spider abundance in response to NP additions.

  PublisherDOI

• Salinity Thresholds for Understory Plants in Coastal Wetlands.

  Research Square · 2021-08-23

  preprintOpen access1st author

  Abstract The effects of sea level rise and coastal saltwater intrusion on wetland plants can extend well above the high-tide line due to drought, hurricanes, and groundwater intrusion. Research has examined how coastal salt marsh plant communities respond to increased flooding and salinity, but more inland coastal systems have received less attention. The aim of this study was to identify whether ground layer plants exhibit threshold responses to salinity exposure. We used two vegetation surveys throughout the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula (APP) of North Carolina, USA to assess vegetation in a low elevation landscape ( < 3.8 m) experiencing high rates of sea level rise (3-4 mm/year). We examined the primary drivers of community composition change using Non-metric Multidimensional Scaling (NMDS), and used Threshold Indicator Taxa Analysis (TITAN) to detect thresholds of compositional change based on indicator taxa, in response to potential indicators of exposure to saltwater (elevation, Na, and the S Ca + Mg). Salinity and elevation explained 64% of the variation in community composition, and we found two salinity thresholds for both soil Na + (265 and 3843 g Na + /g), and Ca + + Mg + (42 and 126 µeq/g ) where major changes in community composition occur on the APP. Similar sets of species showed sensitivity to these different metrics of salt exposure. Overall, our results showed that ground layer plants can be used as reliable indicators of salinity thresholds in coastal wetlands. These results can be used for monitoring salt exposure of ecosystems and for identifying areas at risk for undergoing future community shifts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Salinity thresholds for understory plants in coastal wetlands

  Plant Ecology · 2021 · 30 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Environmental science
  • Ecology
  • Geology
  PublisherDOI

• Copper and Gold Nanoparticles Increase Nutrient Excretion Rates of Primary Consumers

  Environmental Science & Technology · 2020-07-16 · 15 citations

  article

  Freshwater ecosystems are exposed to engineered nanoparticles through municipal and industrial wastewater-effluent discharges and agricultural nonpoint source runoff. Because previous work has shown that engineered nanoparticles from these sources can accumulate in freshwater algal assemblages, we hypothesized that nanoparticles may affect the biology of primary consumers by altering the processing of two critical nutrients associated with growth and survivorship, nitrogen and phosphorus. We tested this hypothesis by measuring the excretion rates of nitrogen and phosphorus of Physella acuta, a ubiquitous pulmonate snail that grazes heavily on periphyton, exposed to either copper or gold engineered nanoparticles for 6 months in an outdoor wetland mesocosm experiment. Chronic nanoparticle exposure doubled nutrient excretion when compared to the control. Gold nanoparticles increased nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates more than copper nanoparticles, but overall, both nanoparticles led to higher consumer excretion, despite contrasting particle stability and physiochemical properties. Snails in mesocosms enriched with nitrogen and phosphorus had overall higher excretion rates than ones in ambient (no nutrients added) mesocosms. Stimulation patterns were different between nitrogen and phosphorus excretion, which could have implications for the resulting nutrient ratio in the water column. These results suggest that low concentrations of engineered nanoparticles could alter the metabolism of consumers and increase consumer-mediated nutrient recycling rates, potentially intensifying eutrophication in aquatic systems, for example, the increased persistence of algal blooms as observed in our mesocosm experiment.

  PublisherDOI

• Copper\nand Gold Nanoparticles Increase Nutrient Excretion\nRates of Primary Consumers

  Figshare · 2020-07-16

  paratextOpen access

  Freshwater ecosystems are exposed\nto engineered nanoparticles through\nmunicipal and industrial wastewater-effluent discharges and agricultural\nnonpoint source runoff. Because previous work has shown that engineered\nnanoparticles from these sources can accumulate in freshwater algal\nassemblages, we hypothesized that nanoparticles may affect the biology\nof primary consumers by altering the processing of two critical nutrients\nassociated with growth and survivorship, nitrogen and phosphorus.\nWe tested this hypothesis by measuring the excretion rates of nitrogen\nand phosphorus of Physella acuta, a\nubiquitous pulmonate snail that grazes heavily on periphyton, exposed\nto either copper or gold engineered nanoparticles for 6 months in\nan outdoor wetland mesocosm experiment. Chronic nanoparticle exposure\ndoubled nutrient excretion when compared to the control. Gold nanoparticles\nincreased nitrogen and phosphorus excretion rates more than copper\nnanoparticles, but overall, both nanoparticles led to higher consumer\nexcretion, despite contrasting particle stability and physiochemical\nproperties. Snails in mesocosms enriched with nitrogen and phosphorus\nhad overall higher excretion rates than ones in ambient (no nutrients\nadded) mesocosms. Stimulation patterns were different between nitrogen\nand phosphorus excretion, which could have implications for the resulting\nnutrient ratio in the water column. These results suggest that low\nconcentrations of engineered nanoparticles could alter the metabolism\nof consumers and increase consumer-mediated nutrient recycling rates,\npotentially intensifying eutrophication in aquatic systems, for example,\nthe increased persistence of algal blooms as observed in our mesocosm\nexperiment.

  PublisherDOI

• Physiological Responses of Coastal Freshwater Wetland Trees to Saltwater Intrusion: a Greenhouse Mesocosm Experiment.

  NCSU Libraries Repository (North Carolina State University Libraries) · 2020-05-08 · 2 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding
  Publisher

Frequent coauthors

• Emily S. Bernhardt

  Duke University

  19 shared

• Brittany G. Perrotta

  McMaster University

  17 shared

• Ryan S. King

  National Renewable Energy Laboratory

  17 shared

• Cole W. Matson

  Baylor University

  15 shared

• Benjamin P. Colman

  15 shared

• Benjamin T. Castellon

  Duke University

  15 shared

• Justin P. Wright

  Centennial Medical Center

  13 shared

• Gregory V. Lowry

  12 shared

Education

• M.S. Forest Ecology, Forestry & Environmental Resources

  North Carolina State University

  2020

• B.S. Conservation Biology, Environmental Forest Biology

  SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

  2010

• A.S. Biotechnology, Biology

  Tompkins Cortland Community College

  2008

Awards & honors

• Post-doctoral fellowship through the Tsinghua-Michigan Socie…