2011 ERIE-REU Projects

Quantifying the impacts of restoration engineering on stream ecosystem metabolism

Advisor: Dr. David Blersch(Civil, Structural and Environmental Engineering)
Other Mentors: Jordan Corby (ERIE Staff)
Primary Activities: Field work and laboratory water quality analysis

Project Summary: REU students will conduct a series of field experiments to quantify stream ecosystem metabolism within multiple reaches of the Elton Creek experimental site. Baseline conditions will be established prior to installation of any redirective structures for ecosystem primary production and community respiration using data-logging instrumentation. Students will design sampling protocols and experiments to measure community metabolism in the stream, and controlled laboratory experiments will be designed to complement the investigation. Additional indicators of ecosystem health will be sampled, such as water quality, periphyton, benthic macroinvertebrates. Students will learn field and laboratory methods for assessing the health of aquatic stream ecosystems.

Skills/Courses Recommended: Basic knowledge of aquatic ecology
Anticipated Conference Presentation(s):North American Benthological Society; Great Lakes Research Consortium