Welcome!
Thanks for your interest in our research group. This website is a work in progress, so please bear with us!
We are dedicated to understanding how aquatic organisms function and how diverse physiologies among species result in differential responses to environmental challenges. Our focus on freshwater macroinvertebrates (insects mostly) is based on their ubiquity and ecological importance in streams, rivers, wetlands and lakes. Particularly striking is how little we (scientists and regulators) know about the physiological ecology of freshwater insects despite the widespread use of insects in ecological monitoring programs worldwide. Our hope is that our work will lead to a better basic understanding of these important organisms and thus improve the interpretation (and utility) of ecological monitoring data generated by programs worldwide. There is much to do!
What we do
We have focused largely on trace metal bioaccumulation, ion transport and thermal biology. Research projects in the lab range from basic physiology to applied research focused on particular environmental issues (e.g. coal mining impacts on streams, thermal effects on biota). We are fundamentally interested in comparative and evolutionary physiology, and seek ways to better understand and predict species responses to environmental challenges such as trace metal pollution, major ion toxicity, and thermal stress. For the last few years, we have also been working with scientists from the Stroud Water Research Center to develop the mayfly Centroptilum triangulifer as a potentially powerful laboratory model through DNA sequencing and qPCR probe development, and through the development of life cycle test methodologies. Our research interests are pursued at various levels of biological organization (whole animal studies, biochemical and molecular approaches).
For questions or comments, please feel free to contact me directly at:
david_buchwalter AT ncsu.edu