Research in Aquatic Ecology
Research in our aquatic ecology team is interdisciplinary. We collaborate with Drs. Tara Pelletier (a geneticist in our department) and Kristina Stefaniak (a chemist in the Department of Chemistry) to capture the complexity of our local streams – from the physical features of the stream bed, to the ever changing water chemistry, to the biodiversity, to the riparian area that surrounds the stream channel. We are also in the beginning stages of mapping the groundwater aquifers along our stream’s sites with Dr. Rhett Herman (in the Department of Physics) and mapping our sites using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) with the department of Geospatial Sciences.
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Students in my lab gain a wide-variety of field experiences by collecting water chemistry, physical habitat, and aquatic insects (and very soon fishes) at our sites. Since the Summer of 2018, our team has collected nearly 16,000 pieces of data for students to investigate and design research questions that answer what happens over time and across geographic space. Students also have the opportunity to determine stream health using to the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality or Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for non-tidal streams.
Students with their own interests and ideas regarding stream ecology are also welcome to develop and complete research projects. Ecology covers a range of topics including (but not limited to) community interactions, trophic relationships, energy dynamics, or ecosystem processes, all of which can be studied in local streams. Also, if a student loves a particular aquatic insect or a particular stream then this student could conduct a life history study on their favorite insect or conduct a case study on their favorite stream! |
Spring 2021 field season. From left to right: Gabi Richards measuring depth, Mckenzie Harping recording the data, Rebecca High measuring pebble size.
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The students graduating from my lab are able to:
- Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team;
- Collect and statistically analyze the physical habitat, water chemistry, and insect assemblage data;
- Identify aquatic insects using the correct terminology and taxonomic keys;
- Communicate in oral and written formats to the scientific and non-scientific communities; and
- Successfully enter the workforce or graduate schools of their choice.