Current Research
I am continuing the long-term study of freshwater mussel growth and distribution in northern Minnesota and in the Cannon River that I began in 1998 with Gary Wagenbach (Carleton College). This summer my students and I will begin a study of the phylogeography of Chaoborus, a widespread genus of phantom midges important in the community ecology of lakes. We will be extracting, amplifying and sequencing parts of three mitochondrial genes that have been shown to be useful for separating insect species. We will compare DNA sequence data with traditional morphological characteristics. Our study of the three or four species available in Minnesota will form the basis for further studies on the 35 or so species of Chaoborus found worldwide.
