Research Page, Dr. Barbara Hayford
CPEN: CHIRONOMID PUPAL EXUVIAE OF NEBRASKA
Collection
of surface floating chironomid pupal exuviae provides information on
the life history and ecology of one of the most diverse and abundant
aquatic insects in the world. Collections
taken from Nebraska streams during a single sampling event can easily
yield up to forty species and seasonal or monthly collections can yield
over 100 species from only a single site. The
specimens can be identified to species group and species producing a
high level of taxonomic resolution for community analysis of aquatic
habitat. I have collected pupal exuviae from streams in the
Nebraska Sandhills, the Nebraska Pine Ridge, and from Loess Hills
streams and other streams of Northeast Nebraska for nearly ten years.
I have a checklist of Nebraska Chironomidae under construction
which will be posted to this webpage upon completion.
To goals of my research in chironomid pupal exuviae from Nebraska 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.
Further discussion on the use of surface floating pupal exuviae of Chironomidae in research can be found on the Chironomid Research Page at the University of Minnesota.