Oral Presentations
Decadal effects of severe fire on emergent aquatic insects
Presentation Type
Presentation
Faculty Mentor’s Full Name
Lisa Eby
Faculty Mentor’s Department
Ecosystem and Conservation Science
Abstract / Artist's Statement
Student: Jaydon Green
Title: Decadal effects of severe fire on emergent aquatic insects
Wildfires have a cascade of effects on natural ecosystems. Even though the effects on terrestrial ecosystems are readily apparent, stream and rivers also experience changes to their ecosystem processes and biota. Studies commonly highlight increased sediment and nutrient loading, as well as increased temperature in streams after severe wildfire. These changes to aquatic habitat can affect the entire aquatic food web, including emergent aquatic insects. Severe wildfires near streams can shift the timing of emergence, as well as increase the flux of emergent insects into the riparian zone when compared to unburned streams. Aquatic emerging insects are important, as they are a vital food source for many different organisms, such as birds and bats. The vast majority of the studies examining the effects of fire on streams and emergent insects is short-term, typically within 5 years post-fire. Decadal effects of burns on the fluxes of aquatic emergence has not been examined. I examined aquatic insect emergence in severely burned and unburned sites 10 years after wildfire. Multiple sticky traps were placed within 14 riparian sites, half of which were severely burned, and the other half were unburned for approximately 36 hours in July and August of 2014 and 2015. In the lab, I am subsampling the sticky traps and identifying insects to Order. Then I am imaging the traps and using ImageJ software to calculate number of insects, relative biomass, and energy content. I will use the two separate months to investigate differences in seasonality of emergence between the burned and unburned sites. I will also compare how the fluxes of insects compare between these site types. Based on the current literature, if short term trends persist, I expect to see a higher abundance and biomass of emerging insects in severely burned sites when compared to unburned sites.
Category
Life Sciences
Decadal effects of severe fire on emergent aquatic insects
UC 330
Student: Jaydon Green
Title: Decadal effects of severe fire on emergent aquatic insects
Wildfires have a cascade of effects on natural ecosystems. Even though the effects on terrestrial ecosystems are readily apparent, stream and rivers also experience changes to their ecosystem processes and biota. Studies commonly highlight increased sediment and nutrient loading, as well as increased temperature in streams after severe wildfire. These changes to aquatic habitat can affect the entire aquatic food web, including emergent aquatic insects. Severe wildfires near streams can shift the timing of emergence, as well as increase the flux of emergent insects into the riparian zone when compared to unburned streams. Aquatic emerging insects are important, as they are a vital food source for many different organisms, such as birds and bats. The vast majority of the studies examining the effects of fire on streams and emergent insects is short-term, typically within 5 years post-fire. Decadal effects of burns on the fluxes of aquatic emergence has not been examined. I examined aquatic insect emergence in severely burned and unburned sites 10 years after wildfire. Multiple sticky traps were placed within 14 riparian sites, half of which were severely burned, and the other half were unburned for approximately 36 hours in July and August of 2014 and 2015. In the lab, I am subsampling the sticky traps and identifying insects to Order. Then I am imaging the traps and using ImageJ software to calculate number of insects, relative biomass, and energy content. I will use the two separate months to investigate differences in seasonality of emergence between the burned and unburned sites. I will also compare how the fluxes of insects compare between these site types. Based on the current literature, if short term trends persist, I expect to see a higher abundance and biomass of emerging insects in severely burned sites when compared to unburned sites.