CMOP Seminar: Invertebrates as bioassessment tools in aquatic ecosystems

Title: Invertebrates as bioassessment tools in aquatic ecosystems

Speaker: Celeste Mazzacano, Aquatic Conservation Coordinator, Xerces Society

Location: OHSU West Campus
20000 N.W. Walker Road on Von Neumann Drive
Paul Clayton Building, Room PC401

Abstract
Bioassessment is an evaluation of the health of a water body based on the life it can support. The chemical characteristics of a water body do not necessarily reflect biological condition, as water may appear chemically pure but lack an expected diversity of life. Aquatic invertebrates such as insects, snails, worms, and mussels are excellent water quality indicators because they are ubiquitous, abundant, confined to the aquatic environment, important in the food web, sensitive, cost-effective and scientifically valid, and many data analysis methods are available. Some invertebrates have very short life spans and reflect recent stressors quickly, while others live for years and integrate stressors over time. The different responses of many taxa to pollutants and other stressors such as sediment, changes in hydrology, stormwater runoff inputs and nutrient enrichment have been characterized. The history, practice, and uses of invertebrate bioassessment tools in aquatic ecosystems will be discussed.

About
Celeste Mazzacano joined the Xerces Society in 2007 as a Conservation Associate and is currently leading the aquatic invertebrate program. She has a Ph. D. in entomology from the University of Minnesota and has engaged in extensive research, teaching, and outreach, most recently in the areas of aquatic biomonitoring, native plantings for pollinators, and adult natural resource education programs. She believes strongly in providing the public with the knowledge, skills, and motivation to enhance and protect natural resources within their local communities. She is currently working to develop an invertebrate-based biological monitoring tool for Pacific Northwest wetlands, and generating a Red List of threatened aquatic invertebrate species.