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PhD student Lyndsie Collis, advised by Jim Hood, has two new first author publications in recent months.

The first of these papers was part of a large NSF-funded study that examined Icelandic geothermal streams to understand how stream ecosystems may respond to future climate change and eutrophication scenarios. Much of this work was completed while Lyndsie pursued her master’s degree at the AEL. In the study, they conducted three stream-side channel experiments which created “mini streams” across gradients of temperature, nitrogen, and phosphorus availability to see how stream biofilms responded to the interactive effects of warming and nutrients.

Temperature and nitrogen availability interact to shape N‐acquisition pathways and metabolism in stream biofilms
Lyndsie M. Collis, Jonathan P. Benstead, Wyatt F. Cross, Alexander D. Huryn, Jill R. Welter, Paula C. Furey, Philip W. Johnson, Gísli M. Gíslason, Jón S. Ólafsson, James M. Hood
Ecological Monographs, e70028 | First Published: 17 August 2025 | doi.org/10.1002/ecm.70028

The second paper was part of Lyndsie’s PhD research in which she advised an undergraduate thesis student, Dan Peters. Lyndsie and Dan share first authorship for this paper about zooplankton grazing experiments in western Lake Erie in 2021. Recent AEL alumna Morgan Shaw also helped to carry out these experiments as she began pursuing her master’s degree with Jim Hood. In this study, they characterized zooplankton diets during the cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (cHAB) in order to understand how zooplankton influence cHABs, but also how energy flows from the cHAB to zooplankton. This work was part of a larger collaboration between AEL researchers, colleagues at the Ohio Division of Wildlife, and NOAA-GLERL.

Mesozooplankton grazing patterns and preferences during a cyanobacterial harmful algal bloom (cHAB) in a large eutrophic lake.
Daniel Peters, Lyndsie Collis, Morgan Shaw, Zak Slagle, Henry Vanderploeg, & James Hood
Harmful Algae, Volume 150, 102963 | doi.org/10.1016/j.hal.2025.102963

AELers gathered for another successful Work Day to clean out the detritus of the year on July 16.

Left to fester and grow, dirt and disorganization spread to unyielding proportions throughout the AEL during the course of a single year of enthusiastic field and laboratory work.  The so called “tragedy of the commons” results from use and misuse of the lab and its materials by busy students, techs and work-study students, too busy to clean up after themselves.  Therefore, Work Day was created to reorganize, repair, and sweep clean the past years wear and tear on the AEL.  A successful Work Day will provide a clean and efficient work environment for the year to come.

We had another wonderful breakfast provided by Casey & Lindsey, frozen treats and sports drinks from Jim, and ended the day with pizza from Stu. Everyone was very enthusiastic and we got more done than we had hoped!

The AEL hosted participants in the Youth STEM Institute organized by our Kinnear Road neighbors, the Ohio Supercomputer Center. Hood Lab LEPAS project head technician Haley Miller welcomed the students with an engaging presentation on aquatic ecosystems and food webs. Haley and AEL lab manager Jenny Pfaff, then led the students in an activity to create their own aquatic food webs. The students also enjoyed a tour of all of the lab spaces to learn more about how the AEL conducts research in aquatic ecosystems.

Jim Hood travelled to Stone Lab to contribute to the Ohio Sea Grant Lake Erie HABS Forecast for 2025. Dr. Hood contributed information on the behavior of phosphorus in the sediments of the Maumee River tributaries.

Jim Hood attended the annual meeting for the Society for Freshwater Science (SFS) in San Juan, Puerto Rico in May 2025. He was joined by many colleagues from the AEL as well as Hood Lab postdoc Shaley Valentine. Jim is also the Academic Delegate on the SFS Board of Directors.

Hood Lab members joined with their AEL colleagues on April 26 to gather with their families and other loved ones to enjoy the hard work of Stu, Jacob, Sawyer, Matt (Kylee), Neil, and potentially others, in roasting the whole pig. Everyone else brought sides and desserts that overflowed across three long tables.

Everyone enjoyed lawn games, too much food, and a bonfire. Sawyer and Casey dominated cornhole, running the boards all evening, and kids ran wild, eating their weight in banana pudding and other sweets!

In true AEL fashion, we were all having too good a time during the party to take many photos!

Dr. Jim Hood was elected to the International Joint Commission Science Priority Committee which is part of the Great Lakes Science Advisory Board. The Science Advisory Board exists to provide advice on research and scientific matters to the International Joint Commission. With other members of the committee, Jim will provide advice and analysis on science priorities and emerging water quality issues in the Great Lakes Basin Ecosystem, among many other things.

Lyndsie Collis and Devan Mathie, both PhD students with Jim Hood, have been selected to receive Edgerly Summer Fellowships for the coming summer.

On March 20th, Hood Lab master’s student Sophie Dziekan presented to a zoology class at New Albany High School. Her presentation was titled, “Excess Phosphorus from the Maumee River leads to Harmful Algal Blooms in Lake Erie.” She also put together a video lecture to share with another class.

The Aquatic Ecology Lab artwork has had an upgrade!

To better represent the diversity of research interests an activities of the AEL, we sought new artwork. In working with the College of Arts & Sciences graphic designers, we have a suite of new imagery that will better represent the AEL and improve our style in presentations, our website, and on social media. We bid a fond farewell to our old fish artwork, but look forward to a future of more diverse research avenues!