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The CPEN Project

The CPEN Project. Barbara Hayford Wayne State College. Biological Diversity. Currently, just over 1 million species have been described. Some systematists estimate that between 2 and 10 million species exist. We are in a time of mass extinction.

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The CPEN Project

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  1. The CPEN Project Barbara Hayford Wayne State College

  2. Biological Diversity • Currently, just over 1 million species have been described. • Some systematists estimate that between 2 and 10 million species exist. • We are in a time of mass extinction. • E. O. Wilson estimates that between 20,000 and 40,000 species go extinct each year. • Mostly the little plants, fungi, microbes, and insects. • These species disappear before we get the chance to know they even existed.

  3. Chironomidae • Chironomidae are non-biting midges in the Diptera order of insects. • They are related to mosquitoes and crane flies. • They range in size from small to very small. • About 6000 species of have been described. • (more than the number of mammal species) • And we think 15,000 species exist.

  4. The Life of a Midge • Most midge larvae inhabit aquatic ecosystems. • They are important in moving energy through aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. • In water, they mix up substrate, helping to sequester nutrients down, • And release nutrients up into the water column, for other species to use. Source: www.mosquitoes.org

  5. And fish find them tasty. Source: Taimen Project

  6. The Life of a Midge • The larvae pupate and then as pupae rise to the water surface. • The adults emerge out of a slit along the dorsum of the thorax. • Adults use their recently discarded skins as floats. • They rest and harden their wings. • Bringing aquatic nutrients to the terrestrial ecosystem. • Birds find them tasty.

  7. Source: www.purple-martin.org

  8. CPEN • The discarded skins are called exuviae. • They float in water for up to 48 hours. • And no more than 400 meters downstream from the point of emergence. • They exhibit many characters of taxomic importance, • Thus, the exuviae can be identified to genus, species group, or species. • Providing important information on the diversity of aquatic ecosystems. • And on community assemblages of midges for ecological analysis.

  9. The CPEN Project • It is imperative that we document as much of our remaining biological diversity as possible. • Before it exits this world. • Even Nebraska holds some surprises in terms of un-described species. • The ChironomidPupalExuviae of Nebraska Project is an endeavor which seeks to document diversity of midges from Nebraska. • And to analyze the community dynamics of midges from the unique aquatic ecosystems of the state.

  10. Goals of CPEN • To goals of the CPEN Project are: • To document diversity of cold adapted chironomids, thereby increasing our overall understanding of diversity of chironomids in the state • To document diversity of chironomids and the ecology of their habitats from unique stream sites around the state including streams of the Nebraska Pine Ridge, the Sandhills, and the Loess Hills. • To compare communities of Chironomidae found in the steppe (high plains prairies) streams and springs of Nebraska with the steppe streams springs of Mongolia.  These comparisons will be used to explore types of data necessary to establish stream and spring habitat in need of restoration or conservation.

  11. Goals • Today I will present information on the published and white paper diversity of midges from Nebraska. • Determine the increase in diversity resulting from targeted winter collections. • And make some generalizations about ecological trends in midge communities throughout the state.

  12. Nebraska’s Unique Aquatic Habitats • Pine Ridge

  13. Nebraska’s Unique Aquatic Habitats • Sand Hills Source: nationalgeographic.com

  14. Nebraska’s Unique Aquatic Habitats • Missouri River

  15. Nebraska’s Unique Aquatic Habitats • Loess Hills Source: igsb.uiowa.edu

  16. Historical Data Methods • To determine whether I have added any new species to the list of documented species. • I had to first create a list of documented species. • First, I searched through the Catalog of NearcticChironomidae for species listed from Nebraska. • Second, I combed on-line and white paper listings of chironomids from NDEQ and CPCB.

  17. Site Locations • Chadron Creek was sampled from at least eight sites along its length from near its headwaters to HWY 20 during early spring of 2006 and 2007. • 12 streams of the Pine Ridge were sampled during winter of 2007 and 2008, most were sampled both winters. • 7 streams were sampled in the eastern Nebraska Sand Hills during late summer of 2004. • A western Sand Hills lake and Hudson Meng reservoirs, located in the High Plains, were sampled summer of 2006.

  18. CPEN Collections • Pupalexuviae were collected following methods modified from Ferrington (1988). • A 25-30 m reach is measured along a stream with representative macrohabitats. • Exuviae are collected from downstream to upstream. • A pan is dipped into the stream in regions where PE accumulate. • The contents of the pan are poured through a fine sieve. • Once the 10 minute collection is completed the specimens are preserved in the field in 80 % EtoHand labeled in the vial. • The specimens were identified to lowest taxonomic level using Wiederholm (1986), Merritt and Cummins (1996, 2007) and other specific papers.

  19. Analysis • CPEN species were compared to documented species to determine the percent increase in species documented through this project. • In particular, winter emerging species were compared to documented species to determine whether winter collections are increasing known diversity for chironomids in Nebraska.

  20. CPEN Diversity 99 species were documented from CPEN collections

  21. Historical Data Results 56 species documented from Nebraska based on published records. CPEN project documented 51 additional species, nearly doubling known diversity for the state. Winter sampling alone increased known diversity for chironomids by 78%.

  22. Historical Data Results 114 species have been documented in published and white paper records. CPEN increased known diversity 17%, but winter collections only Increased diversity by 4%.

  23. Discussion • Adding documented diversity from white paper reports, • Increased the spatial range of sites over the published records. • Temporal range of sampling was less effective at adding documented diversity than was spatial range. • Of course, the species lists need to be published! • White papers need to be submitted for publication. • I need to publish my research to add to documented diversity of Chironomidae. ?

  24. Discussion • Next step? Map known sites and add more sites. • Regions with little sampling? • Small loess hills streams, spring brooks flowing into the Niobrara. • Cold springs in the eastern part of the state.

  25. Community Composition • Chadron Creek is an intensively sampled sub part of the Pine Ridge study region. • Both Chadron Creek and general Pine Ridge sites were dominated by orthocladine midges, followed by chironomine midges. • The both had a high proportion of prodiamesine and diamesine midges. • And displayed greater diversity of subfamilies than did sites from the other regions.

  26. Community Composition • The sites from the Nebraska Sand Hills represent a different region, but also a different season (summer). • Note the increase in chironomine midges. • Orthocladine midges are still relative dominant. • Both groups contained many psammonphilic genera.

  27. Community Composition • The lakes represent a Sand Hills lake and Hudson Meng Reservoir. • Both were also sampled in summer. • Chironomine midges tend to dominate lentic habitat, and these lakes are no exception. • Tanypodine midges also are more abundant in lakes. • The difference in community between these sites and the others in this study is due to differences between lotic and lentic communities.

  28. Future Plans • Well . . . • Publish, of course. • Current projects include sampling of many of these sites from different seasons, • New sites have been added from the Nebraska Sand Hills, • Plus 12 new sites in the Verdigris/Bazile creek watersheds, • With an increase in collection of ecological data. • All samples are now being sorted. • Data worthy of analysis worthy of publication should be completed by winter of 2010.

  29. Acknowledgments • This research was conducted under the auspices of: Chadron State College, AEAL of UC Davis, Wayne State College • And was funded by grants from: WSC, CSC, NSF, NEpSCOR, USFS, • With the permission and assistance from: Nebraska Game and Parks, USFS, and numerous land owners. • And with the help of many undergraduate students, including: Ruby Anderson, Jason Lucas, Sarah Blood, Jamie Bachmann, Erin Kucera, Cassidy Goc, Lisa Rech, Jessica Wimmer, Brent Herdlicka, CSC P3 team and many other students.

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