|
 |
|
|
Associate Professor of Zoology
Associate Heritage Biologist, Oklahoma Biological Survey
Lab: (405)325-7071
Fax: (405)325-7702RM/Lab:SC134
Bergey lab web page
Current Research Interests and Subject Areas Available for Graduate Research
I have broad interests in the ecology of freshwater macroinvertebrates and algae, particularly those inhabiting streams. My current research is focused in two areas: (1) the effects of biophysical disturbance on benthic stream organisms and (2) surveys of aquatic habitats and animals in Oklahoma.
Biophysical disturbances in streams include spates (freshets or floods), scraping by grazers during feeding, and effects of aerial exposure; all of which result in mortality of stream organisms. Most of my disturbance work is done with algae (especially diatom-dominated communities) and uses a combination of field and laboratory experiments. Diatoms have several advantages: their small size requires little research space, they are taxonomically and ecologically diverse, and they reproduce rapidly, so that short experiments can include several generations of diatoms. They are also beautiful.
Here are some more details in some of my research areas:
Crevices as refuges. Depressions and cracks in streambed stones and crevices under the bark of submerged wood are examples of natural crevices found in streams. These crevices can protect organisms against abrasion associated with floods, being eaten by grazers or predators, and drying during brief periods of aerial exposure. I am studying the relationship of crevice size to the size and diversity of organisms protected within crevices, and how the texture of streambed substrates influences ecosystem productivity.
Ecology of diatoms and diatoms of Oklahoma. Diatoms are a species-rich group of small unicellular algae that are responsible for almost 20% of world productivity. Projects of graduate students, general lab collecting, and literature searches are contributing toward a compilation of Oklahoma diatoms – a list that continues to grow. Studies target the ecology of diatoms in specific habitats (e.g. granite rock pools) and the invasive species, Didymosphenia geminata, which occurs in southeast Oklahoma.
Aquatic invertebrate surveys. In my work at the Oklahoma Biological Survey, I am involved in surveys of aquatic organisms in Oklahoma. For example, we have surveyed the distribution of crayfish throughout Oklahoma and the aquatic invertebrates in over 100 springs and seeps. Intensive, localized surveys have been conducted on state and federal lands. I am interested in pursuing ecological spin-off projects from both the crayfish and springs surveys.
Graduate students in my laboratory choose their own projects that may or may not be related to my own research. Examples of graduate research includes: the ecology of a rare Oklahoma-endemic crayfish, biogeography of diatoms in granite rock pools, ecology of aquatic insects in playa wetlands, and a survey of algal-aquatic plant associations.
To learn more about this research, visit the Bergey lab web page.
M.S., Colorado State University
B.S., University of Oklahoma
Selected publications:
- Bergey, E. A., P. Bunlue, S. Silalom, D. Thapanya, and P. Chantaramongkol. 2010. Environmental and biological factors affect desiccation tolerance of algae from two rivers (Thailand and New Zealand) with fluctuating flow. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 29: 725-736.
- Bergey, E. A., J. T. Cooper, and B. C. Phillips. Open Access 2009. Substrate characteristics affect colonization by the bloom-forming diatom Didymosphenia geminata. Aquatic Ecology. DOI: 10.1007/s10452-009-9247-6.
Bergey E. A. 2008. Does rock chemistry affect periphyton accrual in streams? Hydrobiologia 614: 141-150.
- Bergey, E. A., W. J. Matthews, and J. E. Fry. 2008. Springs in time: fish faunal changes in springs over a 20-year interval. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 18: 829-838.
|
|
|||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
