Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID IN_2024_Jacobus

Assessing and addressing the quality of Indiana’s most sensitive aquatic habitats, using mayflies as an indicator

Institute: Indiana
Year Established: 2024 Start Date: 2024-09-01 End Date: 2025-08-31
Total Federal Funds: $1,500 Total Non-Federal Funds: $1,500

Principal Investigators: Luke Jacobus

Project Summary: This project will complete data collection, sample processing, and sharing of data from a multiyear effort to learn about some of Indiana’s most sensitive freshwater organisms: mayflies. Mayflies are used by biologists and environmental professionals to monitor the quality of surface water. About a fourth of Indiana mayfly species are threatened, endangered, or lost. The places where these imperiled species have been lost, and the few places they are still inhabiting, deserve our special attention. The data from this project will shed light on what has been happening in these places and will help to guide future efforts to improve, preserve and protect these delicate freshwater systems. This will lead to improvements in water quality statewide.