Identifying and Quantifying Nature-based Solutions for Water and Climate Resilience
Collaboration to understand one of the most threatened ecosystems in America
Climate change is bringing wetter springs, drier summers with more extreme rain events, and greater variability in water availability to the tallgrass prairie regions of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota; changes that exacerbate already existing challenges to biodiversity, water quality, human and natural communities. The Nature Conservancy is interested in working with researchers and conservation partners to quantify how and where restoration and reconnection of prairie and wetland habitats provide the most overlapping benefits for biodiversity, water management (including groundwater), carbon storage, and/or climate resilience, aka “Nature-based Solutions”. For example, wetland restoration can provide habitat and connectivity for biodiversity, improve downstream water quality, enhance groundwater recharge, and/or provide a buffer against moderate drought and flood events. However, relative production of different benefits depends on different wetland characteristics (e.g., size, design, type of vegetation), within-catchment position, type and amount of water, and antecedent climate conditions. The research intern working on this project will have the opportunity to collaborate with TNC and agency scientists and land managers to identify and focus on a question of interest to them related to this topic. The intern may develop skills in modeling, application of web-based conservation tools, data management, data analysis, communicating with team members, and/or communicating (written and orally) results to conservation agencies.
Network Mentor: Marissa Ahlering, The Nature Conservancy, and Kristin Blann, The Nature Conservancy
Dynamic Prairies:
Collaboration to understand one of the most threatened ecosystems in America
The National Science Foundation's National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) is a continental-scale observation facility operated by Battelle and designed to collect long-term open access ecological data to better understand how U.S. ecosystems are changing. Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is one of seventeen USGS Science Centers that develop and disseminate the scientific information needed to understand, conserve, and manage the Nation’s rich biological resources. An intern with the RaMP project could participate in data collection at our field sites and learn to utilize long-term data to explore questions in a wide variety of ecological areas.
Potential research questions:
- Cattle vs. mice-How do land management practices impact small mammal populations?
- Population rollercoaster- What causes the booms and busts in fish populations?
- Source or sink- how can prairies help fight climate change?
Field and lab work: The type of fieldwork will depend on your experience and interest in terrestrial (i.e. fauna and flora) or aquatic ecology. Fieldwork will include learning a wide variety of protocols for sampling and data collection. Lab experiences can include identifying and processing plant, soil and invertebrate samples, measuring pH and conducting titrations. Depending on the research question there might also be an opportunity to develop conduct a field experiment to supplement the long-term datasets. During the field season (May-October) work on this project is about 70% field and 30% lab, and then in the winter (Nov-May) it is 100% analysis and writing.
Instrumentation: Interns have the opportunity to help maintain field site instrumentation, which includes calibrating sensors, troubleshooting problems, site maintenance, and assisting with corrective maintenance of sensors.
Skill development: Increase your understanding of ecological processes and change at large spatial and temporal scales. In addition to hands on experience in a wide variety of ecological data collection, we offer educational resources to gain the data skills (R coding skills) needed to work with NEON data. You would have the opportunity to develop a project using NEON data and potentially make connections to data collected at other sites around the country to answer important ecological questions.
Network Mentors: Andrea Anteau, NEON, Kyle McLean, USGS, and Kristen Ellis, USGS
Insults for free: The role of metamorphosis in reversing aging in bees
Insects that go through metamorphosis are an extreme example of disposable somatic tissue, because juvenile tissues are destroyed during metamorphosis, while the adult body is built from imaginal, stem cell-like tissues. Metamorphosis may allow insects to take “insults for free” during the larval stage—if tissue accumulates stress-related damage, the individual only has to make it to metamorphosis, then the tissue is disposed of and no longer influences fitness. We hypothesize that metamorphosis allows insects to compartmentalize aging, only investing in regenerative maintenance of tissues that are not disposed of during metamorphosis, while allowing rapid aging of disposable somatic tissues. In addition, we will test to what extent stress affects the rate of aging in these tissues. We will test this hypothesis by comparing cellular aging in brain (not disposable), hemolymph (constantly regenerated), reproductive organs (not soma, not disposable), epidermis and larval muscle (disposable), and flight muscle (regenerated anew). Our preliminary data show that telomeres in prepupae are shorter than those of adults. However, that data compares whole-body prepupae to adult flight muscle, a tissue that could be governed by different aging dynamics than other adult tissues.
We will test the ability of metamorphosis to reset the aging effects of stress by treating prepupal M. rotundata with chemicals to increase and decrease oxidative stress. We will sample tissues in prepupae 24 hours after treatment and when the bees emerge as adults. We will sample brain, hemolymph, ovary/teste, and epidermis. In the adults, we will also sample flight muscle. For all of these tissues, we will measure telomere length, DNA damage, lipid peroxidation, glutathione activity, and reactive oxygen species. Adult bees will also be tested for performance upon emergence and rate of senescence by measuring fight performance by a drop test, non-feeding lifespan, and activity during the second week post-emergence.
Experimental tools and skills/methods: Insect husbandry, Programming incubators, Molecular biology methods including: qPCR and biochemical assays, Organization of experimental samples and data, 3D printing and designing equipment for the experiment, Dissection and microscopy
Network Mentors: Julia Bowsher, NDSU, Kendra Greenlee, NDSU, and Britt Heidinger, NDSU
Understanding behavior and life-history trade-offs
The RaMP mentee will lead a project looking at trade-offs between behavioral responses, reproduction, and survival. Specifically, with this project, the mentee will measure behaviors of crickets (Gryllus pennsylvanicus) in the wild and estimate survival. This will allow them to examine how behavior influences fitness in natural populations. The mentee will also examine trade-offs between life-history traits (e.g. maturation, reproduction, longevity) through experimental manipulations with crickets (Gryllodes sigilattus) in the lab.
While trade-offs are predicted in many circumstances and intuitively underpin much of our understanding of evolutionary ecology, they’re surprisingly difficult to detect. Several recent and large meta-analyses have found that signatures of trade-offs are absent in most cases. By combining field work and laboratory experiments, the mentee will be able to directly test major hypotheses about why trade-offs are, apparently, absent.
Through these projects, the mentee will develop expertise in research design, behavioral data collection, capture-mark-recapture methods, statistical analyses, and scientific writing. The mentee will also have the opportunity to develop and pursue additional research questions based on their own interests. The proposed projects will include, approximately, 10% field work, 50% laboratory work, 20% data analysis, and 20% miscellaneous activities (article reading, research design, etc.).
Network Mentor: Ned Dochtermann, North Dakota State University
Elucidating the genetics of rhizobium-legume symbiosis to enable nitrogen-fixing cereal crops
Legume crops like peas or soybeans are important for sustainable agriculture because of their ability to form a symbiotic relationship with bacteria called rhizobia. Rhizobia elicit the formation of new organs on plant roots called root nodules (engineered to fluoresce in the photo) wherein they transform nitrogen from the air into useable forms for the plant, replacing the need for nitrogen fertilization in agriculture. Unfortunately this symbiosis has only evolved in legume crops and is currently not accessibly by grain crops critical to the global food system such as wheat, corn and rice. A “holy grail” of synthetic biology is to transfer the nitrogen-fixing associations between rhizobia and legumes to cereal crops. To do this we must gain a detailed understanding of the genetic programs in rhizobia and legumes required to carry out an efficient symbiosis. Students will be involved in research projects to decipher the genes involved in effective rhizobium symbioses, and engineering new-to-nature rhizobium symbioses, with a long-term goal of engineering nitrogen-fixation in cereal crops. This work is intensely multidisciplinary and students will gain experience in diverse approaches such as next-generation sequencing of DNA, molecular cloning, microbial engineering, fluorescent microscopy, and bioinformatics.
Network Mentors: Barney Geddes, NDSU
How do birds prepare for changing seasons?
Every year birds have to integrate environmental information and prepare to migrate (or not) as well as prepare to reproduce and lay eggs several weeks prior to these dramatic behavioral transitions. This project will investigate how birds integrate relevant environmental information and make decisions about if and when to modulate their physiology and behavior. This project will combine sampling of wild-caught birds housed under controlled captive conditions with the potential to also sample and follow birds in the wild. The goal of the project is to uncover potential physiological mechanisms driving seasonal transitions and potential variation in the timing of these transitions.
The RaMP mentee will gain skills in animal handling and husbandry, physiological blood and tissue sampling and lab skills that may include hormone assays and gene expression analysis using qPCR. There is also the potential for developing some field research skills that may include bird capture using mist netting, radio telemetry and/or nest searching/monitoring.
Network Mentor: Tim Greives, NDSU
Ecology and Genetics of a Co-Managed Elk Herd on Tribal Lands
United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) is investigating a co-managed elk herd with North Dakota Game & Fish Department and Standing Rock Game & Fish Department. The herd has expanded in the past ten years from about a dozen animals to well over 200 individuals. The long-term overarching project involves identifying seasonal differences in elk diet and gut microbiome, and statewide population genetics that compare to current genetic projects in Minnesota and Montana. We do not have a solid understanding of the origin of the Standing Rock elk herd and there appears to be indications of a bottleneck effect resulting in antler deformities in a percentage of the population. This contributes to impacts on cultural uses of elk antlers, the Tribe’s potential for ecotourism, and the Tribe and State’s development of trophy hunting which can sustain conservation efforts.
The CHANGE RaMP research fellow project will focus on:
- Developing a protocol for annual analysis of elk jaw samples from ND Game & Fish Department. The department annually collects jaw samples from across the state that are sent to labs for aging. They are sharing duplicates of the samples with UTTC so that we can obtain additional genetic/genomic data.
- Conducting a pilot study of analyzing (a) dietary components in elk pellets that can be replicated during different seasons and (b) examining elk DNA from intestinal mucus coating the pellets.
This project would be a good mix of field experience and lab work. Field experiences will include establishing transects, identifying plants and animal species, and collecting pellets. Some of the locations will be remote and off-trail in extreme summer conditions in mixed-grass prairies and badlands ecosystems. Lab experiences will include DNA Extraction, PCR, miSeq sequencing, and bioinformatics.
Network Mentors: Jeremy Guinn, United Tribes Technical College
Bats on the Brink
This research initiative focuses on addressing the decline in bat populations in the United States, specifically examining the impact of White-Nose Syndrome (WNS) on endangered bat species, including the Northern Long-Eared Bat (NLEB). With these species federally listed as endangered, monitoring their presence in structures, particularly bridges, is crucial, especially for state Department of Transportation (DOT) agencies overseeing various potential bat habitats. The project's core objective is to develop and validate a non-invasive method for accurately surveying bat species' presence in structures using DNA metabarcoding of fecal samples. The study will integrate passive acoustic monitoring, direct bat capture, and genetic techniques to enhance precision, offering an immersive research experience in bat conservation.
Network Mentors: Mandy Guinn, United Tribes Technical College
Some like it hot: do birds with warmer winter boxes nest earlier and produce more offspring?
In response to rising temperatures, many organisms have started breeding earlier in the spring. There is also evidence that individuals that experience milder over winter conditions breed earlier and have higher reproductive success. Yet, how variation in macro and microclimate conditions during the non-breeding season influence the timing of breeding and breeding success are not well understood and this information is becoming increasingly urgent in the face of climate change. This study will examine how variation in the macro (ambient) and nest microclimate temperatures influence the timing of breeding, parental behavior, and breeding success of free-living House Sparrows in Fargo, ND. This project will provide mentoring and training in the scientific process including hypothesis development, experimental design, data collection and analysis, and scientific writing as well as the opportunity to learn several skills including collecting, and analyzing nest temperature data, measuring parental behavior, and measuring nestlings in the field and collecting blood samples.
Network Mentors: Britt Heidinger, NDSU, Tim Greives, NDSU, and Sam Lane
Sharing the load:
how does nest temperature influence incubation behavior in male and female house sparrows?
Global ambient temperatures and the variability of temperature experienced by wild populations are expected to increase in the next century. This can dramatically affect oviparous animals, as eggs are more vulnerable to temperature changes, and require a narrow temperature range for successful development. Incubation behaviors can mitigate these effects; however, incubation is time consuming and energetically costly. Some songbirds provide biparental incubation, which can buffer their offspring from greater and more variable temperatures, while also decreasing the burden of care across pairs. However, we do not understand the ecological conditions or phylogenetic relationships that elicit maternal, paternal, and biparental incubation, nor how these life history strategies will change in response to climate change. This project will examine how experimentally elevated nest temperatures alter the bi-parental incubation behavior of house sparrows, and how maternal and paternal roles change in response to altered temperatures. Additionally, we will examine the patterns of incubation behavior strategies across the Americas, their phylogenetic relationships, and what ecological variables correlate with these patterns.This project will provide mentoring and training in the scientific process including hypothesis development, experimental design, data collection and analysis, and scientific writing as well as the opportunity to learn several skills including phylogenetic analysis, large data set curation, statistical analysis using R statistical software, collecting, and analyzing nest temperature data via radio frequency identification and temperature probes, and measuring adult and nestlings songbirds in the field.
Network Mentors: Britt Heidinger, NDSU and Samuel Lane, NDSU
Hazing Nuisance Blackbird Flocks with Multiple Drone Platforms to Resolve Human-wildlife Conflict
While much of the US breeding populations of blackbirds (Icteridae) have declined, blackbirds have remained stable and form fall roost aggregations of >1 million birds in the northern Great Plains. In this region, blackbirds are considered an agricultural pest, causing annual damage to sunflower (>$3.5 million) and corn ($1.3 million) as the birds aggregate in fall roosts prior to migrating south. The mixed-species flocks mainly include red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), but also common grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), and yellow-headed blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus). In collaboration with NDSU, the USDA-APHIS-WS National Wildlife Research Center focuses on studying nonlethal, socially-acceptable management actions to avoid native species from becoming pests. Various management strategies exist to reduce bird damage to agriculture, with drones being used as a frightening device for dispersing bird flocks. Research has shown that blackbird abandonment of a sunflower field is impacted by time of day, flock size, field size, and the landscape, but the drone platform and how it is flown also impacts efficacy. Although larger drones may appear more risky to birds, smaller drones often have greater maneuverability and are able to reach higher speeds and make quicker turns. Sounds broadcast from drones can also impact the antipredator responses of flocks to an approaching drone. Due to the difficulty of dispersing large flocks with a single drone, we propose to evaluate the benefit of additional negative stimuli, in the form of multiple drones, to better achieve field abandonment and flock reductions. The drone platforms would include 1) a larger model (DJI Agras MG-1P; 1460 mm diameter), 2) a model equipped with a loudspeaker (DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise; 348 mm) to broadcast threatening sounds (e.g., distress calls, predator calls, firecrackers, and pyrotechnics), and 3) and small maneuverable drone (DJI Mavic Series; 347 mm) to quickly respond to flock movements. This study will highlight the benefit of using multiple drones and how the addition of various characteristics (size, sound, and maneuverability) outperforms hazing with a single drone.
Skills development: You will gain field experience in bird identification and counting large animal aggregations, the evaluation of antipredator behavior of large flocks, and the operation of nonlethal frightening devices (i.e., drones). You will implement field research evaluating the efficacy of using multiple drones to disperse blackbirds from sunflower fields and gain experience analyzing data (R statistical language, GIS) and reporting results through oral presentations and written manuscripts. This is a unique opportunity for those interested in the interface of agriculture and wildlife. The position provides applied experience for a career trajectory in local, state, or federal agencies or a research career focusing on the ever-growing field of human-wildlife conflict.
Network Mentor: Page Klug, USDA-APHIS-Wildlife Services
Flexing Mussels:
Assessment of Propagation and Restoration Strategies for Freshwater Mussels
Over 70% of native freshwater mussel species in the United States are considered at-risk for extinction. Ten out of the 15 species of native mussels known to exist in North Dakota are listed as North Dakota species of greatest conservation priority. U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists are working collaboratively with the North Dakota Game and Fish Conservation Division (NDGF), the U.S. National Fish Hatchery program (USFWS), and Valley City State University to conduct research that will lead to the development a statewide mussel conservation strategy/toolbox. The Valley City National Fish Hatchery is interested in developing propagation techniques for imperiled freshwater mussel species in North Dakota. Assessing the efficacy of propagation methods and developing reintroduction protocols will provide conservation agencies with an additional tool for maintaining mussel populations in North Dakota, This project will involve capturing and rearing select mussel species in North Dakota and comparing the efficacy of different propagation techniques in a hatchery setting and helping develop reintroduction and post-reintroduction monitoring tools. The intern will work with mentors to identify a specific research question related to mussel propagation or reintroduction.
Field and lab work: The intern will have opportunities to join and ongoing research project conducting a statewide survey of freshwater mussels to learn how to survey mussel populations. The intern will be in charge of collecting gravid mussels to bring back to the hatchery for rearing and propagation. The intern will monitor source mussel survival and juvenile mussel drop-off rates from fish hosts. Research activities will be based out of Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (Jamestown, ND) and the Valley City National Fish Hatchery (Valley City, ND). Skill development: The intern will become familiar with freshwater mussel survey methodology and propagation techniques in a hatchery setting. The intern will also gain experience in experimental design and statistical analysis using R. The collaborative nature of this project will allow the intern to learn about research and management goals from a team of USGS, USFWS, NDGF, and STEM educators.
Network Mentors: Kyle McLean, USGS
Collaborators: Christopher Hooley (USFWS), Hatchery Manager at the Valley City National Fish Hatchery, Andre DeLorme, Director of the Prairie Waters Research and Education Center
Ecological Integrity of Prairie Streams After 25 Years of Extreme Environmental Change
Prairie streams are highly dynamic and are considered especially vulnerable to land-use change, human alterations, and extreme weather events. The U.S. Geological Survey, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College, and the Three Affiliated Tribes GIS/Water and Environmental Division are currently investigating how the physical, chemical, and biological conditions (ecological state) of prairie streams located on the Fort Berthold Indian Reservation have changed after increased energy development and severe weather events (floods and droughts). This is a large project that can support additional independent research questions. The intern would work closely with two U.S. Geological Survey Science Center scientists, Nueta Hidatsa Sahnish College faculty and students, and Three Affiliated Tribes staff and learn about their respective organizations.
Field and lab work: The intern will have opportunities to join and ongoing research project conducting surveys using EPA EMAP protocols to assess stream physical habitat conditions, hydrologic conditions, collect samples for water quality analyses, collect and identify periphyton, collect and identify aquatic invertebrates, and sample fish communities using seines. Field work will take place over 1-2 months in the summer and will be based out of New Town, ND. The intern will participate in the data collection and have the opportunity to collect additional data if it is needed for their research question. Skill development: In addition to learning stream environmental data collection techniques, the intern will be encouraged to incorporate geospatial and statistical analyses into their project (mostly QGIS and R). Interns will also get the opportunity to learn for a diverse group of researchers and develop collaboration skills.
Network Mentor:Kyle McLean, USGS
It’s the system! Understanding systems thinking in undergraduate biology
Biology is wonderfully and beautifully complex. Making sense of that complexity, well, that can be quite the challenge! Typical biology classrooms focus on memorizing chunks of information – the central dogma, citric acid cycle, digestive system, the list goes on. Experts, however, have a deep understanding of biological systems which includes robust systems thinking skills - the ability to describe and reason about complex biological systems. We are curious about how students develop systems thinking skills, whether some skills are more challenging to learn, and how we can structure instruction to enable all students to develop these skills.
In this project, you will work with a team of biology education researchers who are transforming undergraduate learning experiences. Through this work, you will learn qualitative research methods (how to conduct and analyze interviews and surveys), quantitative research methods (statistics!), experimental design in education, collaboration and communication skills.
Network mentors:Jenni Momsen, NDSU, and Daniel Ferguson, NDSU
Genome-Wide Responses to Environmental Stresses (biotic/abiotic) in Common Bean
Common bean is the most important food legume in the world produced for human consumption. It is rich in protein, fiber, and many macro- and micronutrients. The production of this important food source is challenged by climate change conditions that are unpredictable and can cause both biotic and abiotic stress. It can face flooding during early season germination, heat stress during the important flower portion of the growing season, and drought during the critical seed filling period of development. In addition, numerous pathogens cause significant reductions in seed yields. Our project focuses on the genetic improvement of dry bean using plant breeding/genetics tools so they are able to withstand these stressors and increase productivity and hence, food security. In other words, we work on the development of new genetically improved varieties of dry beans.
In many cases, detailed genetic analyses are lacking for varieties and germplasm grow under these conditions. Better understanding of genome-wide expression patterns and functions will provide plant breeders with selection targets to develop varieties better able to produce a crop under stressful conditions. The project involves field, greenhouse, and lab work in a very holistic way. We use a hands-on approach to expose the individual to all the activities related to plant breeding and genetics. Controlled greenhouse experiments will simulate these various growth conditions. Additional field validations can follow. Genomic analyses will help to identify suites of genes associated with various physiological pathways that allow to identify genotypes that can withstand/tolerate the stresses. The results of the experiments will identify allelic variants of important genes required for common bean to successfully survive the stress and possibly produce a crop under the stress conditions.
Expected time allocation to activities: 35% field, 35% greenhouse/lab, 20% data processing/analysis, 10% professional development.
Professional development: During this project, you will learn: hypothesis development, project planning and conducting, and experimental time management skills.
Technical skills will include: field experimental research techniques and greenhouse growth management, exposure to field-based research, tissue sampling, DNA/RNA extraction, screening of dry bean genotypes for genetic resistance to pathogens, and whole genome expression analysis using bioinformatics tools.
Personal skills will include: interest in scientific research, interacting with young and experienced researchers, working in a team-oriented fashion, verbal and written communicating scientific results, and public presentation of scientific results, professional development and attention to deadlines.
Network Mentors: Juan Osorno, NDSU
Doing Better at Home:
Does local adaptation explain performance of differences in hatchery walleye?
Populations across a landscape may be adapted to their local environment, leading to individuals having higher fitness within their own population compared to if they were translocated to another population on the landscape. One potential case of local adaptation occurs in walleye, where fish from the hatchery that come from the local waters do better than fish from the hatchery who have an origin in waters in other areas of Minnesota. This advantage does not present itself until post-1 year and carries with it substantial economic impacts surrounding the per fish cost of the hatchery program (Logsdon et al. 2024 in North American Journal of Fisheries Management). The mechanism for this improved survivorship is unknown, although because of the tie to lake lineage, we expect that it could be due to local adaptation. To test this hypothesis, you and our team will be looking for evidence of areas of the genome that vary with environmental conditions. To specifically explore these ideas, you will have the opportunity to use low-coverage whole genome data from 225 walleye samples across areas in Minnesota. The student will work with mentors to perform outlier association tests and genotype-by-environment association tests. The student may also explore other hypotheses related to landscape genetics.
Experimental tools and skills development: Genomic data filtering and data wrangling, geographic information systems (GIS) modeling, population and conservation genetic analysis.
Network Mentors: Travis Seaborn, NDSU, and Meggan Alston, NDSU
Small RNA, Big effects!
Changing environments means species are moving around more than in the past - both because of humans moving around and the climate changing. When species move around more, they meet new species they haven’t met before. When that happens, they get new diseases. Not just bacteria and viruses, but also bits of DNA that live inside their cells and replicate selfishly.
Small RNA is how organisms defend against these invasions. We will work on how small RNA populations evolve in response to new invaders.
Skills that will be acquired during the RAMP:
Molecular biology: PCR, DNA/RNA extraction
Bioinformatics: basic coding skills
Technology: Operating next gen sequencing technology
Network Mentors: Sarah Signor, NDSU