2022 Early Hearing Detection & Intervention Virtual Conference

March 13 - 15, 2022

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5/26/2021  |   8:30 AM - 10:30 AM   |  Authentic research in the undergraduate classroom comparing the impact of land use on macroinvertebrates and water quality   |  Virtual Platform

Authentic research in the undergraduate classroom comparing the impact of land use on macroinvertebrates and water quality

To provide introductory biology students with an authentic research experience, we compared macroinvertebrate and water quality data collected by Smith College students in the Mill River, a stream next to campus in a more urban area, to data collected by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) in the Lower Hop Brook, a stream surrounded by forest and far less human development around 40 km away. Macroinvertebrate density was lower and tolerance to pollution was higher in the Mill River compared to the Lower Hop Brook. Turbidity, pH and water temperature were greater in the Mill River. However, the dissolved oxygen was higher in the Mill River for a given water temperature. It is not fully clear what is causing these differences, but the land use around these two rivers very likely plays a role. While additional research is needed to understand what is causing these patterns, the patterns are interesting and stimulated students to think about the effect of land use on macroinvertebrates and water quality. Comparing NEON data to our own data collected on campus was a rewarding way to involve undergraduate students in authentic research.

  • Land use
  • Stream
  • Biodiversity

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Presenters/Authors

Marney Pratt (), Smith College, mcpratt@smith.edu;


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Financial -

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