A Bug’s Life

SMSU Biology students are conducting research on insects active in all seasons to understand the health of the Redwood River ecosystem. They focus on collecting adult insects and bringing them back to the lab to study their activity at different temperatures.

In the fall, they study insect populations to compare with that of the winter population. Associate Professor of Biology Dr. Alyssa Anderson and students from her BIOL 405 Insect Ecology & Diversity Lab collected aquatic insect samples in the Redwood River at Camden State Park in the fall (see photos).

“By assessing the aquatic insect community within streams or rivers we can get a good idea for the health and quality of those systems,” said Dr. Anderson. So, by looking for their presence, absence, abundance and diversity – basically who is there and who is not – we can get a good feel for the health of river systems.”

The Biology Program recently acquired new cold incubators purchased with support from the SMSU Foundation. The cold incubators maintain an environment at a steady temperature. Two incubators allow them to study insect activity at two different temperatures.

“We’re primarily looking for two different types. One is from a family of flies called non-biting midges or chironomids. They look like mosquitoes and are about that size, but they don’t bite. So those are one of the most abundant winter-active insects,”