Although these organisms are frequently the numerically dominant insects in aquatic habitats and have been used extensively in environmental assessment, the timeintensive and difficult nature of collecting and identifying midges has deterred most aquatic ecologists from examining the importance of this group in aquatic systems. His previous research has examined the role of chironomids in streams by assessing their importance in energy flow. Thus, this group can be an energetically important food source for other organisms in stream ecosystems. One of his interests for future research is to examine the actual utilization of chironomids as a food resource by fish and other aquatic predators. In addition to his basic research interests, he also is interested in more applied areas such as the use of aquatic insects in environmental assessment.
Aquatic insects can be useful indicators of environmental quality.
Given their importance in energy flow in both streams and lakes, the response of these organisms to natural and anthropogenic disturbances can have strong implications for ecosystem structure and function. Louis Cain received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Economics. Dr. Calcagno is a biological anthropologist with research and teaching interests in paleoanthropology, primate behavior and conservation, and sociobiology. He has conducted research in Denmark, England, Italy, Kenya, South Africa, and Uganda, as well as closer to home in Chicago. His research encompasses siderophores which are low molecular weight, avid ferric ionbinding compounds synthesized by a wide variety of fungi and bacteria.