Core2017: A. D. Harwood

My research focuses on the effects of anthropogenic (human caused) stressors on aquatic species. One species I am particularly interested in is the burrowing mayfly. Since they are large, easy to raise in the laboratory, and have intermediate sensitivity to pollution, they are very useful in testing. Despite their potential usefulness, they are used much less frequency since there are fewer established testing methods. One problem is that burrowing mayflies are too stressed without a burrow. Therefore, my objective for this summer is determine if we can create an artificial burrow that will sustain mayflies. We will test many different burrow types and determine which burrows result in the best survival and health. We will also quantify the success of the burrows by measuring changes of weight and fat of the mayflies over me. This research can then be used to help agencies such as Environment Canada conduct tests with this species.