Methylmercury (MeHg), a bioaccumulative neurotoxin, is microbially produced in anoxic wetland environments. The direct or indirect management of wetlands is pervasive, but many questions remain regarding the impact of wetland management on MeHg biogeochemistry. To address this, I investigated the extent, drivers, and consequences of MeHg production in important types of managed wetlands, as well as the response of MeHg to specific management interventions. In a field study which simulated industrial increases and legislated decreases in Firstly, I would like to thank my advisors, Carl Mitchell, Roberta Fulthorpe, and Marney Isaac, for their support, guidance, and understanding as I navigated through not only a Ph.D., but a new country, marriage and parenthood. I will always be particularly grateful for your enthusiastic support for my pursuit of my own research ideas, which was a true privilege. In addition, I would like to thank Shelley Eisner, Elaine Pick, and Jennifer Caradonna of the DPES administrative support team for their quick and helpful responses to all my administrative questions. Eventually I even reached the point of filling out expense claims without mistakes, at least once or twice! I would also like to extend a particular thank you to Planck (Haiyong) Huang for his endless patience and good nature as he demonstrated laboratory techniques, bringing a smile to even the most frustrating day with the ICP-MS. Research can be lonely, but I was so fortunate to have wonderful PhD colleagues with whom to share frustrations, ideas, and XKCD cartoons. In particular, Ingjerd Sunde Krogseth, Johnny Westgate, Nicole Ricker, Rosemary Saati, and Carlos Paulo made the ninety minute commute worth it. A big thank you also to my "science pals" near and far, especially Annett Schumacher and Zoe Goodwin for their ongoing moral support! Finally, a special thank you to my close friends Diana Cousminer and Genevieve Noyce, and their families Rachel Kahan-Noyce, Ami Ganguli, Elliott Lehtonen, and Misha Ganguli, for their company and support as we wrote up PhDs from each other's kitchen tables-a special kind of enjoyment, to work from home with people who understand what the work is about! Thank you to my parents, Dan and Linda Strickman, my sisters Leah and Rose, and my brother in law Laurence Scott-for five years of reality checks, commiseration, and advice both critical and partisan. I'd also like to thank my family by marriage, the Lombardi-Spanos, for so many great family meals and parties to take my mind off methylmercury and R! My love and gratitude go to my husband, Luciano Lombardi, who was always there for me when I needed him, in so many ways. And finally, in subject and in spirit, this thesis turned out to be for my son, Daniel, who has made it all worthwhile. x Preface Although I am the primary author of this thesis, others have made important contributions, which I outline below. Chapters 2, 4, and 5 are either published, or in review for publication, and necessarily contain some repetition of methods and bac...
