At the University of Wyoming, I work in the Collins Lab as a PhD student in the Ecological Stoichiometry Cooperative. 

I am part of the NSF EPSCoR Track II project to create a database of stoichiometric traits of organisms in their chemical habitats (STOICH) and to conduct related research. This database will be the first of its kind and will enable current and future freshwater scientists to expand the field of ecological stoichiometry and to build upon our understanding of patterns that result from mismatches between available elements and requirements by communities of organisms. Learn more about the Ecological Stoichiometry Cooperative.

Spatial patterns of nutrient concentrations and stoichiometry in a headwater lake-stream network in the Colorado Rocky Mountains

High-elevation, headwater aquatic networks are crucial for water provisioning and ecosystem services in the western United States (U.S.) due to their capacity for water storage and recharge, streamflow generation, and specialized habitat. Because headwaters serve as large sources of water, nutrients, and solutes, headwater quality can have serious implications on quality and quantity of downstream waters. In this study, we focused on nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations and N:P stoichiometry to examine how nutrient dynamics change along a headwater network in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, U.S.  This study highlights the importance of freshwater network connectivity and the differential role of streams and lakes in modulating nutrients. 

A broad-scale shift away from single nutrient limitation toward co-nutrient limitation in U.S. lakes

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We evaluated how both N and P contribute to limitation and eutrophication at a continental scale using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Lakes Assessment (NLA) data from 2007 and 2017. We found that N correlated more strongly with trophic state in the Western U.S., while P correlated more strongly in the Eastern U.S.; indicating the importance of regional characteristics for understanding drivers of eutrophication and nutrient input dynamics, like N-deposition sensitivity, terrestrial vegetation, and land use. Lakes across the U.S. shifted from single nutrient limitation, toward co-limitation over the decade. Although there were no changes in trophic state among all surveyed lakes, N- and P-limited lakes showed trends toward eutrophication, implying the critical need to manage excesses of both nutrients. Our findings suggest U.S. lakes may shift between N- and P-limitation and underscores how focusing on a single nutrient may be counterproductive to assessing and managing eutrophication.

Examining climate change-induced disturbances in temperate montane ecosystesm via stream hydrology and water chemistry​

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At the University of Wyoming, a team of aquatic ecologists, terrestrial ecologists, and hydrologists are working together to reveiw disturbances that have the potential to significantly alter temperate montane stream ecosystem health and services. Temperate montane ecosystems with complex drainage networks are especially vulnerable to ecosystem transformation due to their low fertility, heterogeneous landscape environments, and tight coupling between terrestrial and aquatic components. We are focused on pulse and press disturbances that impact stream water quality and quantity. Pulse disturbances occur over short time periods and rapidly introduce changes to ecosystem processes and properties, while press disturbances alter ecosystems gradually; e.g., wildfire (pulse), bark beetle (pulse), changes to the hydrological cycle (press), and vegetation community shifts (press). As these four disturbance types increase in severity and frequency and pose a risk to temperate montane streams, it is critical that we develop our understanding of the downstream ramifications on both aquatic and human communities.  

​Conducting Communication, Research, and Education from Climate Change Perspectives

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A group of five Ph.D. students and early career researchers, connected through the Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), joined together to discuss the challenges of communication, research, and education from climate change perspectives and develop ideas on how to foster diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice in the aquatic sciences community. Check out our pieces here: 

Lakes protect downstream riverine habitats from chloride toxicity

https://aslopubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/lno.12340 
Anthropogenic salt pollution has significantly contributed to the global problem of freshwater salinization, especially in areas where road salt is a commonly used during winter. Here, we examined salt export regimes along a river-lake continuum in a mixed urban and agricultural watershed in the Midwest United States that is experiencing rising salinity. We quantified chloride loads and fluxes through the watershed with the aim of understanding the role of lakes in downstream salt transport. We found that variations in salt export exist based on hydrological, anthropogenic, and seasonal controls in tributaries upstream of lakes and that the lakes diminish those controls on salinity through hydrological and biogeochemical processes.

 Annual patterns, drivers, and balance of chloride in the Upper Yahara River Watershed

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In the Dugan Lab, I studied how chloride is changing freshwater and the impacts of these changes. If you are interested in ways to prevent your salt use from impacting our beautiful lakes and rivers, visit WI Salt Wise for information.
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The goal of my salt research was to track the movement of chloride in the Upper Yahara Watershed and its potential to impact aquatic ecology. This study may also serve to inform management of water quality in the Yahara River Watershed. The Upper Yahara River Watershed is home to Lakes Mendota and Monona. Chloride concentrations have been steadily increasing in these lakes since the 1940s and in recent years, streams in the watershed have been added to the state’s impaired waters list for chloride. With continued urbanization, chloride contamination could quickly become a problem for Dane County’s freshwater ecosystem functions and services. Through my findings, I aimed to improve our understanding of the sources, pathways, and long-term trajectory of chloride in the Yahara River Watershed.