Researches at two universities in Arkansas will receive more than $386,000 in grants to help improve the management of the Ozark Highland streams near Fayetteville, members of the state's congressional delegation announced Tuesday.
The University of Arkansas in Fayetteville and the University of Central Arkansas in Conway will receive a combined $386,235 in National Science Foundation grants to study the impact that phosphorus in the stream has on aquatic wildlife.
Funds will support three graduate research assistant positions—two from the University of Arkansas and one from the University of Central Arkansas—as well as provide summer salary support for faculty and hourly compensation for undergraduate researchers involved in the project. In addition, funds will be used to purchase research supplies and reimburse researchers for travel to study sites and professional meetings.
Researchers will look into what impact phosphorus in the Ozark Highland streams has on insects and other organisms that feed on leaf litter in the streams. Researchers hypothesize that high phosphorus levels in streams negatively impact the diversity of detritivores—aquatic species that feed on decomposing organic matter—by causing them to grow smaller and reproduce less. Ozark stream ecosystems depend on a strong population of detritivores so that fish and other wildlife can feed on them. Results of the project will be distributed to watershed groups and state agencies to improve management of Ozark Highland streams and other Arkansas ecosystems.
The University of Arkansas was awarded $302,258 in National Science Foundation funds while the University of Central Arkansas received $83,977. Biology professors Michelle Evans-White and Thad Scott of the University of Arkansas along with Sally Entrekin of the University of Central Arkansas will lead the project.
The announcement was made by Sens. Blanche Lincoln and Mark Pryor and Rep. Vic Snyder.