Blog Archives - Atkinson Lab

New paper in Oecologia!

4/30/2018

A manuscript in early view (SEE IT HERE) in the journal Oecologia highlighting the importance of algal-based (autochthonous) resources to stream insects in high elevation tropical streams using stable isotopic analysis in conjunction with Bayesian mixing models. These results also suggest that aquatic invertebrates may be using resources based on both availability and the quality (as indicated by N:P) of the resources which both change as a function of elevation in these streams. These results are relevant to understanding how resource availability and food web structure may be altered in response to climate change.

This paper was recommended by the Faculty of 1000! Here's the comment written by Luz Boyero: "Almost four decades on from the River Continuum Concept, the relative role of autochthonous (in-stream) vs. allochthonous (out-of-stream) material in fueling stream food webs and ecosystems is still under debate. The growing number of tropical studies has particularly provided new insights into this question. This paper shows how altitude is a key determinant of the relative abundance and quality of resources, and to what extent they are assimilated by stream insects, in tropical streams. A nice example of how climatic gradients are to be taken into account in order to understand how stream ecosystems function and how they are likely to respond to warming."

Lab Bowling!

4/26/2018

Atkinson lab crew

Cherry lab crew

With the end of the semester approaching we needed to blow some steam off and knock down some pins! The Atkinson and Cherry lab got together for some bowling and pizza. This led to some new interactions, friends, and hopefully future collaborations among members of each lab.

Congratulations Abby!

4/10/2018

Abby took first place for the College of Arts & Sciences Natural Sciences division at the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference for her poster "Nutrient Limitation and the Effects of Mussel Abundance on Primary Productivity in the Sipsey River". She was recognized at a lunch at Bryant Denny stadium yesterday. Nice work Abby!

eDNA sampling at the Jones Center

4/9/2018

We spent the last several days down at the Jones Center. Carla and Dan are working together to validate eDNA sampling in Geographically Isolated Wetlands (GIWs) in the southern Gulf Coastal Plain. Carla spent her time collecting and filtering water while Dan and Lora Smith (J.W. Jones Ecological Research Center) helped with quantitative amphibian sampling. We noted several species while we were out. We look forward to working with the Kocot lab to ran our samples and compare to our field data!

Poster presentations and department seminar!

4/3/2018

Zach Nickerson

Things were quite busy in the Atkinson lab last week! Both Abby Rankin and Lucas Glisson gave posters on their projects in the lab at the Undergraduate Creative and Research Activity Conference on the University of Alabama campus. Also, Zach Nickerson (MS student) and Brian van Ee (PhD student) gave posters at the University of Alabama Water Policy Summit. Last, but not least, Zach Nickerson presented some of his master's research findings in the Biology Department seminar in North Lawn Hall. Good job everyone!

Abby Rankin

Lucas Glisson