Macroinvertebrates Projects
Evaluating Headwater Biodiversity, Vulnerability, and Potential Resilience to Inform Conservation in the Delaware Basin
In partnership with Commonwealth University – Bloomsburg, Friends of the Upper Delaware River, and
Water Policy Pathways, funded by Delaware River Conservation Fund and PA DEP Growing Greener grants.
We are measuring in-stream metabolism, water chemistry and habitat as well as collecting eDNA, and tissue barcoding collected macroinvertebrates to evaluate the potentially hidden diversity in Delaware Basin headwater streams and their potential for protection and conservation. Working with community groups including outdoor recreation clubs, we will seek out input on streams of interest for presence of vulnerable taxa and potential needs for protection or restoration. Our results aim to provide some baseline information relative to potential impacts of climate change within the region.
Freshwater Snail Inventory at Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River
In partnership with National Park Service (Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River) funded by Department of the Interior.
Inventory of the freshwater snails of UPDE to determine distribution and community structure. We are also utilizing genetic research techniques (tissue barcoding and eDNA) to identify invasive species and their distribution. This project was highlighted in the ANSP blog in April of 2023.
Uptake and bioaccumulation/biomagnification of subsurface-derived PFASs by lotic, warm water food webs
In partnership with Biogeochemistry Section, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Temple University, and Lockhaven University, funded by SERDP.
Project aims to investigate the extent, pathways, and rates by which PFAS are taken up by aquatic organisms and transferred through stream food webs. Results will support the quantitative prediction and assessment of the risks of PFAS to aquatic wildlife and humans as well as regulatory efforts by providing, for example, bioaccumulation factors and relative exposure mechanisms for fishes that may be consumed by humans.
Cobbs Creek Stormwater Control through Resident Actions
In partnership with Darby Creek Valley Association funded by Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
Macroinvertebrate community assessment of tributaries of Cobbs Creek to aid in stormwater planning and management.
Funded by The Lower Neches Valley Authority (LNVA)
During October 2021, the Patrick Center for Environmental Research of the Academy of Natural Sciences completed the seventh in a series of biological and water quality surveys. The Macroinvertebrate team joined the Fisheries and Phycology Sections to sample 5 stations along the Neches River. Previous studies were performed in 1953, 1956, 1960, 1973, 1996, and 2003.”
