Rebecca Sharitz

Rebecca R. Sharitz (1944-2018) was an emeritus professor at the University of Georgia who spent the majority of her career as a senior researcher in the UGA's Savannah River Ecology Laboratory.[1][2] Her research centered on wetlands and their ecological functions with a focus on river floodplains, swamp forests, and Carolina Bays.[3]

Rebecca Sharitz
Born(1944-08-10)10 August 1944
Wytheville, Virginia
Died20 October 2018(2018-10-20) (aged 74)
NationalityAmerican
SpouseCarl Byrne Hatfield
AwardsNational Wetlands Award in Science Research, Environmental Law Institute (2010)
Fellow Award, Society of Wetland Scientists (2008)
Academic background
EducationUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (PhD)
Roanoke College (B.S.)
Doctoral advisorFrank McCormick
Academic work
DisciplineEcology
Sub-disciplineWetland ecology
InstitutionsSaginaw Valley State University (1970-71)
University of Georgia (1972-2018)

Early life and education

Rebecca Sharitz was born in Wytheville, Virginia.[4] In 1966, she received her B.S. in Botany at Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia.[5][2] She continued her education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill completing her Ph.D. in Ecology in 1970.[5][1]

Career and research

Sharitz began her career as an Assistant Professor of Biology at Saginaw Valley State University (1970-71), but the majority of her professional life was spent working at the University of Georgia (1972-2018).[2][5] In addition to her role as a research ecologist in the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, she also served as a professor of Botany, Plant Biology, and Ecology while at the University of Georgia.[2][4]

Sharitz researched ecological processes in wetlands focusing predominantly on wetlands in the southeastern U.S.[1][5] Her long research career included investigations of wetland responses to natural and anthropogenic disturbances, like thermal pollution, as well as work on the restoration of degraded wetlands and the conservation of rare species.[1][2] Some notable findings in Sharitz's research were the discoveries of links between wetland forest regeneration and flooding due to storm events, dam alterations, and hydrologic discharge from nuclear reactors.[5][3][6] Specifically, regeneration was reduced after such events, such as with Taxodium distichum having reduced growth after hydrologic disruptions from dam alterations[7] as well as reduced diversity in tree species of the Congaree Swamp due to hurricane damages.[8]

During her time as a professor, she oversaw over 100 volunteers, 30 graduate students, and 13 postdoctoral fellows.[2][3]

Honors & awards

Throughout her career, Sharitz received various awards and recognitions for her research and teaching. Notable honors and awards are listed below:

Posthumously, Sharitz's family developed a fellowship to honor Sharitz and her late husband Carl Byrne Hatfield, who worked at the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site.[4] The Dr. Rebecca Reyburn Sharitz and Carl Byrne Hatfield Fellowship Fund[14] provides financial support to PhD candidates at the University of Georgia focused on ecology or plant biology.[4]

Selected publications
  • Ecology of freshwater and estuarine wetlands. Darold P. Batzer, Rebecca R. Sharitz (2nd ed.). Oakland, California. 2014. ISBN 978-0-520-95911-8. OCLC 892239067.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) CS1 maint: others (link)
  • King, Sammy L.; Sharitz, Rebecca R.; Groninger, John W.; Battaglia, Loretta L. (2009). "The ecology, restoration, and management of southeastern floodplain ecosystems: A synthesis". Wetlands. 29 (2): 624–634. doi:10.1672/08-223.1. ISSN 1943-6246. S2CID 25051504.
  • Sharitz, Rebecca R. (2003-09-01). "Carolina bay wetlands: Unique habitats of the southeastern United States". Wetlands. 23 (3): 550–562. doi:10.1672/0277-5212(2003)023[0550:CBWUHO]2.0.CO;2. ISSN 1943-6246. S2CID 19954348.
  • De Steven, Diane, & Sharitz, Rebecca R. (1997). "Differential recovery of a deepwater swamp forest across a gradient of disturbance intensity". Wetlands. 17 (4): 476–484. doi.org/10.1007/BF03161513.
  • Putz, Francis E., & Sharitz, Rebecca R. (1991). "Hurricane damage to old-growth forest in Congaree Swamp National Monument, South Carolina, U.S.A." Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 21 (12): 1765–1770. doi.org/10.1139/x91-244.

References
  1. "Rebecca R. Sharitz | Department of Plant Biology". University of Georgia. 2018. Retrieved 2023-03-21.
  2. Pederson, Neil (2019-02-15). "Deep Ecology with Becky: A remembrance of Dr. Rebecca Sharitz". Broadleaf Papers. Archived from the original on 2023-03-27. Retrieved 2023-03-21 – via Ecological Society of America.
  3. "National Wetlands Awards: Rebecca Sharitz". Environmental Law Institute. 2010. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  4. Gavrilles, Beth (2020-05-05). "Fellowship honors late Prof. Emerita Rebecca Sharitz". UGA Today. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  5. Battaglia, Loretta (January 2019). "In memoriam: Dr. Rebecca Reyburn Sharitz" (PDF). Friends of Congaree National Park. Wetland Science & Practice.
  6. Palta, Monica M.; Doyle, Thomas W.; Jackson, C. Rhett; Meyer, Judy L.; Sharitz, Rebecca R. (2012). "Changes in Diameter Growth of Taxodium distichum in Response to Flow Alterations in the Savannah River". Wetlands. 32 (1): 59–71. doi:10.1007/s13157-011-0245-9. ISSN 0277-5212. S2CID 256038220.
  7. De Steven, Diane; Sharitz, Rebecca R. (1997). "Differential recovery of a deepwater swamp forest across a gradient of disturbance intensity". Wetlands. 17 (4): 476–484. doi:10.1007/BF03161513. ISSN 0277-5212. S2CID 18796178.
  8. Putz, Francis E.; Sharitz, Rebecca R. (1991). "Hurricane damage to old-growth forest in Congaree Swamp National Monument, South Carolina, U.S.A." Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 21 (12): 1765–1770. doi:10.1139/x91-244. ISSN 0045-5067.
  9. "Society Awards". Society of Wetland Scientists. 2008. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  10. "History". INTECOL. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  11. "Everglades Science Review Panel". Newswise. US Newswire. 1999-09-24. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  12. "Vice-Presidents". Ecological Society of America. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  13. "ABS Elected Officers". Association of Southeastern Biologists. Retrieved 2023-04-12.
  14. "Graduate Awards and Scholarships". Odum School of Ecology. Retrieved 2023-04-20.
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