MACROINVERTABRATES

When my study abroad program was cut short by COVID-19 I returned to the midwest to conduct research closer to home. I conducted my own fieldwork and analyzed my measurements in regard to historical data, gaining a preliminary understanding of how temperature changes have impacted macroinvertebrate communities in one Michigan stream. I utilized data before and after the installation of a unique stream cooling modification to explore how temperature has changed over time in this stream and how the macroinvertebrate community has responded as compared to a 1993 baseline. My research investigates weather this cooling manipulation could provide a refuge for species in the region that are negatively affected by warming water temperatures.