Monitoring a Small Northwestern Iowa Stream Undergoing Watershed Changes

Stream ecosystems are influenced by their watersheds. Intact watersheds support high water quality and habitat heterogeneity, while providing native allochthonous input. In Iowa, watershed degradation associated with agricultural activities and expanding residential development negatively impacts streams by increasing sedimentation, pesticide exposure, and eutrophication. Our study continued a monitoring program of a low order stream in Sioux County, Iowa. As the surrounding watershed shifts from agricultural to residential use, we are recording changes in stream biodiversity and water quality. At three study sites, we documented the stream’s physical and chemical characteristics and collected macroinvertebrate samples. We also introduced various substrata (gravel, maple leaves, and pavers) to the stream to observe macroinvertebrate colonization. As expected, we found the stream dominated by taxa tolerant of poor water quality. Our results indicate that substrate type significantly affected colonization, with gravel supporting the lowest richness and abundance of macroinvertebrates. Overall, location and colonization month (September vs. October) only affected a subset of our samples. These results differ markedly from those of a similar 2018 study. We anticipate that the results of this study will be compared to future work, enabling researchers to monitor how the stream responds to changes in the watershed and hydrological events

Stormbreaker8 and A3Wally Bacteriophage Genome Annotations

Stormbreaker8 and A3Wally are two novel bacteriophages isolated and purified on Microbacterium foliorum NRRL B-24224 by students in the Fall 2020 Discovery course. Stormbreaker8, an EA1 cluster lytic phage, was isolated from soil collected in Orange City, IA. Its circular permuted genome contains 41,751 base-pairs with 63.4% GC content. A3Wally, a GD cluster phage, was isolated from soil collected in Sioux Center, IA. Its genome is 60.1% GC, contains 194,724 base-pairs, and its ends are direct terminal repeats. Spring 2021 Genetics students annotated the genomes using bioinformatics software