This research is investigating the potential for increasing detritus retention as a means of enhancing invertebrate productivity. This was the focus of two Ph.D. studentships now completed. Meiofauna are poorly understood components of stream ecosystems, despite their undoubted abundance and diversity. This project seeks to identify the determinants of local diversity among benthic meiofauna, and to compare it with that of benthic macroinvertebrates. Examples of meiofauna from the River Goyt and its tributaries, Northwest England.
Aquatic insects have a short but critical adult stage, during which reproduction occurs.
While the larval stage has been extensively studied, little is known about the habitat requirements of adult insects. This is the focus of the Ph.D. studentship held by Sharon Flint . The interaction between fluctuating asymmetry a survival at different stages of development is being investigated within several species of stoneflies. The effect of environmental stress on FA will be a component of this research. Direct investigation of dispersal ability among aquatic insects is difficult, so this research initiative attempts to quantify dispersal capacity by examining current geographical distribution patterns in relation to marine barriers in the British Isles and the western Mediterranean region.