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SFS Annual Meeting

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ANNUAL THERMAL PARTITIONING IN CHIRONOMID EMERGENCE FROM AN URBAN TROUT STREAM

Chironomids display thermal partitioning on an annual basis with different taxa emerging under specific temperature regimes in streams. Research on chironomid emergence indicates that similarities in emerging taxa decrease over time as the amount of time between emergences increases. In Southeastern Minnesota, cold-adapted taxa predominantly emerge during the winter, and warm-adapted taxa typically emerge during spring and summer. Thus, the composition of emerging taxa changes over the course of a year. This study assesses the similarities and rate of change in emerging chironomid taxa across study months in an urban trout stream. The trout stream, located in South Central Minnesota, was assessed from July 2006 to June 2007. Similarities and rates of change in emerging chironomid taxa were quantified using Jaccard’s Similarity Index. On average, 48.1% of emerging taxa were shared between adjacent months. In contrast, an average of 23.1% of taxa were shared between months that were half a year apart. Months with the most contrasting air temperatures (e.g. July and January) had the largest rate of change between comparisons (100% different). Our results indicate that the taxonomic composition of emerging chironomids differs more as time between emergences increases.

Corrie Nyquist (Primary Presenter/Author), Lund University, Sweden, nyqui095@alumni.umn.edu;
Dr. Corrie Nyquist (They/Them) received their PhD from the Department of Entomology at the University of Minnesota in 2022. Corrie was a graduate student under the late Dr. Leonard Ferrington, Jr. and investigated effects of environmental temperature on the biology, longevity, and emergence patterns of winter adapted Chironomidae in Minnesota and Iceland. Corrie completed postdoctoral research with the Department of Agricultural Education, Communication and Marketing at the University of Minnesota, co-leading the development of a community science program for winter stream monitoring and helped develop public education and science communication materials as well as investigated barriers to public participation in freshwater science. Corrie is currently a postdoctoral researcher at Lund University, Sweden, investigating environmental drivers of toxin production in cyanobacteria and effects of temperature on pollinator behavior and toxic cyanobacteria exposure from freshwater sources. Corrie’s research interests continue to lie in the areas of aquatic-terrestrial interactions, water quality, chironomid taxonomy, and invertebrate adaptation to climate change.

Leonard C. Ferrington, Jr. (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), University of Minnesota, ferri016@umn.edu;