Research Activities in the Brunkow Lab

Many different kinds of research projects have been undertaken in the lab, incorporating many undergraduate and graduate students. Some of these projects have been completed to a greater degree than others; however, all have led to an increased understanding, on my part as well that of my students, of the scientific process and the natural system examined. Projects have been completed in field as well as laboratory settings, sometimes combining both.

Students have always kept the lab vibrant and moving forward, and I see students working in the lab as my greatest asset. For a list of the students who have worked under my supervision or who have been trained or otherwise mentored in the lab, click here.

The links in the right column of the table below highlight only some of the research projects that have been tackled in the lab. They are meant to show the diversity of studies we've examined, the range of techniques and approaches used, and the many ways that students have been integrated into my research activities.

Effects of algal growth and shell ornamentation on hydrodynamic drag experienced by freshwater snails


Photo: Pleurocera acuta covered with Cladophora algal community in a laboratory flume
Effects of shell size and shell orientation on hydrodynamic forces experienced by freshwater snails during a simulated fish suction feeding strike


Photo: Redear sunfish (Lepomis gulosis) at the moment of striking at a snail (Physa gyrina) using suction feeding
Trematode infection and its effects on foot performance and tenacity in a freshwater snail


Photo: The redial stage of a trematode parasite infects a large portion of the body of this snail (Physa gyrina), shown next to its shell
Do the eyes of mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) contain individual biometric information?


Photo: Right eye of a female mosquitofish
Faunal survey of Lake Wappapello - US Army Corps of Engineers


Photo: Southern red-backed salamander (Plethodon serratus)
Genetic variation in phenotypic plasticity in a freshwater snail


Photo: Shells of the pond snail (Physa gyrina) showing the kind of shape variation that can exist in natural populations
Food web manipulation in a highly eutrophic reservoir


Photo: Array of large pools used to create replicate aquatic microcosms in Cougar Lake on the SIUE campus
Effects of the Great Flood of 1993 on salamander populations in a southern Illinois nature preserve


Photo: Spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum)


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