This project builds on research from Derek D. Houston, PhD’s ecology lab to examine food web bioenergetics in a river system. Working with undergraduate biology students Kamis Monohan, Dylan Keller, Tim Franke, Alex Bishard, and Lindsey Farrar, and faculty colleagues Oliver and Hannah, the team conducted comprehensive sampling using drift nets, kick nets, and barge electrofishing in collaboration with Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Aquatic taxa were identified to the lowest practical level and analyzed using carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes with Bayesian mixing models. The results show that during severe winters, typical food web structure breaks down, forcing organisms to adopt flexible survival strategies. The team is currently preparing the findings for publication.

Aquatic macroinvertebrates provide important insight into the health of aquatic ecosystems and are widely used to evaluate conservation and restoration outcomes. Sagebrush wet meadows, which are small and often ephemeral wetlands, are a federal priority for restoration due to long-term land use impacts that have led to erosion and wetland loss in the Gunnison Basin, Colorado.

This study inventories and analyzes aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa found in degraded sagebrush wet meadows and human-made stock ponds. The research was conducted by student researcher AJ Strombeck under the guidance of faculty advisor Susan Washko, PhD. The goal is to establish a baseline understanding of the taxa that occupy these systems and identify species that may serve as indicators of successful wet meadow restoration.