Recent thesis-based master’s graduate student Kayla Zinsmeyer has been awarded the University of Houston’s Outstanding Master’s Thesis Award (Life Sciences) for her innovative research on improving coastal dune restoration along the Texas shoreline.
Zinsmeyer, who studied ecology and evolutionary biology at the College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, focused on how soil microbes can drastically improve plant survival rates in degraded dune ecosystems, particularly beneficial fungi that form relationships with plants.
Breakthrough Coastal Restoration Research
Coastal dunes serve as vital habitat and a natural barrier against storm surge, but restoration projects in Texas often struggle, with some seeing nearly 100% plant mortality. To address this challenge, Zinsmeyer tested microbial soils from 11 sites across the Texas coast. She and her team grew dune plants in a UH greenhouse to determine whether the source of microbial communities affects restoration outcomes. The answer was a clear yes.
“Each microbial source performed differently,” said Zinsmeyer. Research showed one of the locations produced two to three times more plant biomass and fungal growth than any other.
“It ended up being from a small strip of land near student housing. It’s incredibly encouraging that it wasn’t from a preserve.”
Her findings suggest restoration teams can improve outcomes by carefully selecting where they source their soil microbes since the most effective microbial communities can substantially enhance plant growth, leading to better shoreline resilience.
Winning the award was especially meaningful for Zinsmeyer, who completed her thesis while navigating serious health concerns. “I thought I was barely getting by,” said Zinsmeyer. “To receive this honor was overwhelming.”
Zinsmeyer credits her mentor, Dr. Kerri Crawford, and the UH ecology community for fostering a collaborative, supportive environment throughout her time on campus. “The strength of Kayla’s work is there are real world implications for how we restore Texas’ coastal dunes,” said Crawford. “She has put in the time to talk to practitioners, and this helped us refine our research, so it was something useful for them, and now others are interested in using microbes in their restorations.”
“There’s a lot of fear around climate change,” said Zinsmeyer. “But I see so many people doing what they can, and that gives me hope.”