Special sessions

NABS 2003 promises a number of great special sessions covering topics that span the full range of the academic, pedagogical, and applied issues that concern or interest our members. Please leave room in your meeting agendas to attend as many as you can. If you are interested in participating in a particular session, please contact the session organizers. If you are interested in organizing a special session or if you have questions, contact Pam Silver, psb3@psu.edu. For those of you who will be presenting talks in special sessions, please remember that your abstract must be submitted via the NABS web site by January 6, and you will have to contact your session organizer for the keyword needed to complete that submission.

1. Opportunities to Incorporate Science in Freshwater Conservation Advocacy: The NGO Perspective

As the area of freshwater conservation grows, so does the need for the infusion of the "best science" into the science advocacy process. Nongovernment organizations (NGOs) increasingly rely on conclusions drawn from the results of scientific research to frame strong arguments for advocacy positions in freshwater conservation. The opportunities for aquatic scientists to contribute to this arena are often not well understood by the academic scientific community. In this Special Session, invited representatives from leading NGOs will speak to the need for the more active engagement of highly trained aquatic scientists in the science advocacy process, both currently and in the future. The Conservation and Environmental Issues Committee of NABS has organized this symposium in response to member interest in forging stronger connections between the society and NGO professionals, who typically interact more directly and regularly with the public than do academics.

Organizer: LeRoy Poff
E-mail: poff@lamar.colostate.edu
Phone: 970-491-2079
FAX: 970-491-0649

2. Frameworks and Methods for Defining Different Levels of Biological Condition: Global Perspectives

As the use of biological assessment techniques increases, so does the use of these data for evaluating the quality of environmental resources. This special session highlights how groups across the globe are approaching the common issue of placing biological assessment results into a context that can be used to compare environmental quality across different sites. Tiers that describe differing levels of environmental quality can be used to prompt or prioritize management actions, or to better describe best available environmental conditions. Speakers will discuss methods for defining different tiers of environmental quality as well as issues on translating quality tiers into broader policy statements. Perspectives from outside of North America will be emphasized.

Organizer: Michael Barbour, Sue Norton and Patricia Chambers
E-mail: Michael.Barbour@tetratech.com; patricia.chambers@ec.gc.ca
Phone: 410-356-8993
FAX: 410-356-9005

3. Tropical Stream Ecology

The increasing amount of information on tropical stream ecosystems supports the hypothesis that tropical streams are as diverse as the forests they drain. Many tropical streams are characterized by migratory biota (e.g., fishes, gastropods, and shrimps) and can also be extremely species diverse or species poor, depending on their location (e.g., continent vs. islands). Others are prone to seasonal and non-seasonal flooding and appear to have faunas adapted to major changes in their ecosystems. Some of that diversity will be addressed in this special session by having presentations on tropical streams and rivers in Central and South America and the Caribbean Islands. Topics will range from ecosystem processes, migratory fauna, to community ecology. A common topic for the session will be on identifying emerging patterns that characterize tropical streams and whether these patterns are specific for particular tropical regions. As an example, rainforest streams have plenty of flow most of the time; however, we now known that water shortages during uncommon but drastic drought periods have profound impacts on populations and stream ecosystems during extremely low flows. An apparent general lack of invertebrates specialized in shredding leaf litter in tropical streams is also an emerging pattern to address.

Organizer: Alonso Ramirez
E-mail: aramirez@sunites.upr.clu.edu
Phone: 787-0000, ext. 7781
FAX: 787-772-1481

4. Ecosystem Function in Bioassessment: Comparisons and Opportunities

Traditional stream bioassessment has focused on the analysis of structural elements, namely algal, vertebrate, and invertebrate communities, to assess the functional integrity of the whole ecosystem. What has infrequently been considered are direct measurements of stream ecosystem function as part of the assessment process. Methods for measuring stream function, such as organic matter decomposition, metabolism, nutrient cycling, and food web analysis, are well developed and there is now a sizeable database upon which to derive assessment methods. Still, the use of functional measures in assessment remains a rarity. Arguments against the use of these measures often include the perceived effort/cost, variability, and complexity. In this session, we explore the use of functional measures in stream bioassessment. Talks, representing research from around the world, will address (1) comparisons between different structural and functional measures across a range of biomes; (2) a variety of different functional measures and their responses to disturbance; (3) the application of functional measures in restoration; and (4) costs/benefit comparisons of functional measures.

Organizers: Michael J. Paul, Stuart Bunn, and Roger Young
E-mail: Michael.Paul@tetratech.com
Phone: 410-356-8993
FAX: 410-356-9005

5. Mobile Basin Mollusks: Ecology and Conservation

The Mobile River Basin historically harbored nearly as many mollusk species as better-known, adjacent drainages such as the Tennessee, Cumberland, and Ohio. Outside the southeast, however, few people are familiar with the Mobile's unique aquatic ecosystems. Like many southeastern streams, its mollusk fauna has been severely impacted by impoundments and development. Presently, more than 35 mollusks endemic to the Mobile drainage are thought to be extinct. Despite widespread extinction and habitat modification, several of the basin's undisturbed streams still harbor diverse mollusk assemblages. Several exciting 're-discoveries' of species believed extinct coupled with recent implementation of innovative molecular techniques have spurred research in this system's mollusks and led to studies of population ecology and dynamics, conservation genetics and hydrology/geomorphology. This special session will provide Mobile Basin researchers an opportunity to highlight the Mobile's spectacular aquatic biodiversity while discussing ongoing projects with other aquatic biologists. It is hoped that this will enrich and strengthen future research in the area while drawing attention to a local biodiversity 'hotspot'. It is expected that the proximity of the drainage to Athens, Georgia should generate substantial interest in this session.

Organizer: Michael M. Gangloff
E-mail: ganglmm@auburn.edu
Phone: 334-332-1533

6. Do Meiofauna Matter? Contributions to Aquatic Ecosystem Biodiversity, Structure and Function

Meiofauna are mobile benthic invertebrates intermediate in size between the macro and microfauna. They have received much attention from marine biologists but, until recently, have been neglected by freshwater ecologists. Meiofauna, however, can be abundant and diverse in freshwater habitats; evidence from marine, and increasingly freshwater, studies suggests that they may play an important role in the trophic and functional dynamics of freshwater ecosystems. This special session will begin with an overview of the meiofauna before moving on to examine their contribution to freshwater biodiversity. Our understanding of the role of meiofauna in freshwater food webs is much improved as a result of recent research, some of which will be presented in this session. Meiofauna are small but their turnover rates are rapid in comparison to many larger invertebrates and they may contribute more to total invertebrate biomass and production than previously thought - an issue that will be explored in this session. Recent research also suggests that freshwater meiofauna may play a significant role in nutrient cycling and organic matter dynamics - an aspect that will also be discussed in this session.

Organizer: Anne Robertson
E-mail: a.Robertson@roehampton.ac.uk
Phone: +44(0)208 392 3456
FAX: +44(0)208 3923257

7. Teaching in the 21st Century: Programs and Funding Opportunities

Teaching undergraduates in today's academic institutions offers great challenges and great opportunities. Institutional demands for excellence, innovation, and skillful leadership in the classroom have increased dramatically in the past 10 years. We are expected to recruit and retain at the same time that students have developed a "consumer mentality." We are expected to develop and maintain "academically rigorous" programs at the same time that student preparedness has declined. And yet, most of us have not been trained to teach; rather teaching is something we have learned on the job through trial and error and through the mentorship of our peers. As a consequence, many of us are not aware of the resources that are readily available to help us meet the expectations of our institutions and the needs of our students. This year, the Human Resources Committee is pleased to offer a Teaching Special Session featuring presentations/ discussions on educational reform, innovative curriculum development, the role of technology, case studies, and funding opportunities for curriculum design and innovations in teaching. If you have something to contribute and something to learn about teaching, this is the session for you.

Organizers: Billie L. Kerans and Pamela Silver
E-mail: bkerans@montana.edu
Phone: 406-994-3725
FAX: 406-994-3190

8. Ecological Stoichiometry

Ecological stoichiometry deals with the balance of key elements in ecological interactions. This concept goes beyond the scope of early energy flow models (primarily based on carbon flow) by recognizing that the chemical composition of organic material (living or dead) may place constraints on the flows and/or rates of energy transfer in ecosystems. Knowledge of the elemental ratios (C:N:P) of consumers and basal resources may provide a more comprehensive understanding of trophic interactions, nutrient recycling, and life-history evolution. Until recently, the vast majority of studies on ecological stoichiometry have been conducted in pelagic zones of lentic ecosystems. We have just begun to examine stoichiometric relationships in benthic food webs. The goal of this special session is to bring together some of the recent findings on ecological stoichiometry in the benthos. Talks dealing with pelagic or other non-benthic food webs are also encouraged.

Organizers: Jonathan P. Benstead and Wyatt F. Cross
E-mail: cross@sparc.ecology.uga.edu
Phone: 706-542-7880

9. Changing Land Use Effects on Aquatic Food Webs

Land use is rapidly changing across the globe. The impacts of changing land use on aquatic systems often times occur through alterations in stream food webs. These impacts occur via multiple pathways and can include changes in the resource base to consumers and shifts in the composition of predators and prey. Changes in assemblage structure and flow pathways can lead to changes in food web structure and function. This session is aimed at identifying common impacts on stream food webs brought about by current changes in land use that include increases in urban land use and reduction in forests and riparian cover. In addition, studies may also reveal some of the most common or important mechanisms by which food webs are affected by changing land use.

Organizer: Amy D. Rosemond
E-mail: rosemond@sparc.ecology.uga.edu
Phone: 760-542-3903
FAX: 706-542-6040

10. Extending the Food-Web: Consumer-Resource Dynamics at the Aquatic-Terrestrial Interface

The role of predators and prey that occur in the aquatic-terrestrial ecotone has been largely understudied by aquatic ecologists. We know little about the effects of "terrestrial" predators (kingfishers, cormorants, herons, otters, mink, etc.) on aquatic prey and food webs. Similarly, little is known about how emerging insects influence terrestrial predators (spiders, lizards, bats, etc.) and their food webs. Part of this lack of knowledge is because the people working in these areas (ornithologist, mammalogists, herpetologists, fisheries biologists, and aquatic ecologists) tend to publish in different journals and attend different meetings. The goal of this special session is to draw together scientists from various disciplines to synthesize what we currently know about consumer-resource dynamics in the aquatic-terrestrial interface, and to hopefully point the way towards future research priorities.

Organizer: Jeff Steinmetz
E-mail: jsteinmetz@life.uiuc.edu
Phone: 217-244-2102
FAX: 217-333-6294

11. Approaches for Using Algae to Monitor and Assess Freshwater Ecosystems

Organizer: Jenny Winter and Gina LaLiberte
Email: Gina.LaLiberte@dnr.state.wi.us
Phone: 608-221-5377
fax: 608-221-6353