As snow begins to blanket the Arctic, one group of EVOME researchers is finishing up their summer field work. This group, led in the field by Ph.D. student Maddy Frey from the University of Alabama, has spent the summer collecting macroinvertebrates, algae, and plant matter to quantify how riparian food webs are affected by warming temperatures and shrubification. They repeated site visits every two weeks throughout the summer to collect benthic Surber samples, pitfall traps, and sticky traps as well as algae and plant matter. Maddy, accompanied by PIs Carla Atkinson and Jeff Lozier, Ph.D. student Kendal Berasley, Kelly Slade (lab REU summer 2026), Ellis Timmer (field REU summer 2026), Medina Lam (field REU summer 2026), lab technician Ismaila Ceesay, and volunteer Calvin Frey, have all worked diligently in the field and in the lab to study macroinvertebrate communities and their role in riparian food webs across our Alaskan latitudinal gradient.
Alongside macroinvertebrate collections, benthic algae was also collected to determine their C, N, and D (deuterium) stable isotopes. The algae isotopes can be compared with the insect isotopes to determine macroinvertebrate food sources, as 13C ratios differ between aquatic and terrestrial primary producers. This will help EVOME answer if the food web is shifting to be more terrestrial plant-based in the south, where there are denser shrubs and increased canopy cover as opposed to the north, where Maddy hypothesizes the insects are eating more algae. Additionally, Kendal collected aquatic insects Nemoura sp. and Baetis sp. from each stream to create a reference genome and analyze landscape genetics for stoneflies and build a genus level pangenome to better understand mayfly genetic diversity.
As the researchers return to their universities with the season coming to a close, rigorous sample sorting, identification, barcoding, and analysis for stable isotopes and genomics begins. Maddy and Jeff have already initiated beetle identification while Kendal processes genetic sampling and begins to build a landscape genome.
Madeline Frey (center) filters benthic algae while REUs Lily Downing, Ellis Timmer, and Milana Krishnevsky sort aquatic macroinvertebrates collected at Fish Creek. Photo: Linda Deegan.
REUs Ellis Timmer and Medina Lam with graduate student Maddy Frey (left to right) enjoying summer snow. Ellis and Medina’s individual projects are both centered heavily around insect ecology and were integral to field collections. Photo: Maddy Frey.
