Benbow awarded NSF grant to test how riparian plant invasion influences aquatic ecosystems
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EmailMSU aquatic entomologist Eric Benbow and University of Dayton assistant professor Ryan McEwan were awarded a three-year, half-million dollar National Science Foundation grant for the support of their project.
MSU aquatic entomologist Eric Benbow and University of Dayton assistant professor Ryan McEwan were awarded a three-year, half-million dollar National Science Foundation grant for the support of their project, “A mechanistic framework for bottom-up biodiversity effects: riparian forest invasion impacts on headwater stream microbial and macroinvertebrate communities.” This project tests a conceptually unique, but widely applicable, framework for how riparian plant invasion influences aquatic systems. The researchers hypothesize that riparian invasion by Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) results in alterations of terrestrial-aquatic subsidies that results in bottom-up species sorting in microbial communities and alters life history traits and the community structure of aquatic macroinvertebrates. Research within this system will contribute to basic understanding of how terrestrial and aquatic systems are ecologically connected.
As an expert in aquatic entomology, Benbow will advise and mentor the aquatic entomology aspects of the project including community structure assessments, life history traits and other aquatic macroinvertebrate responses. Benbow will also be responsible for DNA extractions and high throughput metagenomic sequencing for the microbial samples of the project.
