Aquatic Ecology Laboratory Snapshot

Aquatic Ecology Laboratory Snapshot

ael.osu.edu

The Ohio State University Aquatic Ecology Laboratory (AEL) is home to faculty and student researchers
whose field work takes place on Lake Erie and in rivers, streams, hatchery ponds and large reservoirs around Ohio. In their Kinnear Road facility extensive resources support the analysis of their field research.

At a Glance

Projects balance basic and applied research to understand community structure and dynamics in aquatic systems, concentrating on fishes

Program revolves around basic ecology: optimal foraging, resource partitioning, bioenergetics modeling

Goal is better understanding of how aquatic populations and communities operate to develop solid principles on which to base fisheries and conservation science

By the Numbers

Graduate Students: 11
Postdoctoral Researchers: 3
Faculty: 4

History

The AEL became an official entity in 1991, with the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology as its administrative home. It occupies both indoor and outdoor space on the grounds of the research center and contains virtually every necessity for leading-edge research in aquatic ecology, including a computer lab, library/map room, wet and dry labs, outdoor pools and a fleet of boats for field work.  The AEL has a long-term partnership with Ohio Division of Wildlife; the two frequently work in tandem to pursue experimentally oriented research to solve fish management and research problems.

More Than Just a Lab

The AEL is a community of students, faculty and staff, committed to educational opportunities for its members and to promoting community involvement in aquatic ecology

AEL Education Outreach Programs
host school groups from first through 12th grade. Tours and hands-on demonstrations of equipment, aquatic organisms, and laboratory procedures of aquatic sampling introduce young people to aquatic research

High School Student Interns
Periodically, the AEL hosts students from Columbus area high schools, who visit the lab weekly to conduct experiments and gain experience in aquatic field work

Seminars and Workshops
for the university community and personnel from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Ohio Division of Wildlife

Faculty Research Interests

James Bauer
Marine and Aquatic Biogeochemistry and Ecosystem Ecology

Stuart Ludsin
Fish Population and Community Dynamics; Human Impacts on Aquatic Ecosystems

Elizabeth Marschall
Life History and Population Ecology

Roy Stein
Community Ecology in Aquatic Ecosystems

Research Funding AEL

Research is funded by grants from:

• The Ohio Division of Wildlife
• The Great Lakes Fisheries Commission
• NSF
• Ohio Sea Grant
• The Lake Erie Protection Program

1.2012