Field Sites for Research and Teaching

(Janovy lab and Cedar Point Biological Station classes)

We have a number of field sites, mostly in western Nebraska. These sites consist of ponds, sometimes well tank overflow ponds, springfed streams, the North Platte and South Platte Rivers, and various grassland locations. Many of these places are public, but a number of important ones are on private property. In the latter case, several local landowners have been exceedingly generous in allowing us to use their property for teaching and research and we greatly appreciate this generosity.

Field Sites:

Nevens Ranch well tank

This site has an exceedingly rich invertebrate fauna, thus has been used as a source of teaching and research materials by a number of classes, undergraduate students doing independent research projects, and graduate students, for nearly 15 years. Nevens was an important resource for both Scott Snyder and Tami Percival (see Former Students page) in their work on frog lung flukes and damselfly gregarines respectively, and is currently one of the primary research sites for Matt Bolek in his research on the natural transmission of frog lung flukes, with special reference to the role of various arthropods.

Dunwoody Pond

Dunwoody Pond also has a very rich invertebrate fauna, and, like Nevens, is heavily used by not only wildlife dropping parasite eggs, but also, consequently, by Cedar Point Biological Station students. This site was used by Scott Snyder, Tami Percival, and Aris Efting for dissertation and thesis research materials (see Former Students page), and is the type locality for Steganorhynchus dunwoodyi Percival, Clopton and Janovy, 1995, a septate gregarine from the damselfly Ischnura verticalis. In addition to its value as a research site, Dunwoody Pond has been the source of material used in the Biological Sciences 204 (Biodiversity), core majors' course, at UNL during the spring semesters.

Cedar Creek

Cedar Creek, in Keith County, has been used by Cedar Point researchers and classes for about as long as the Nevens Ranch site. It is a prime location for several species of small fish, including Fundulus zebrinus and Gambusia affinis, two of the species whose parasites are being studied by Jaclyn Helt. Cedar Creek was also one of Mike Ferdig's research sites [see Ferdig et al., 1993. Patterns of morphological variation of Salsuginus yutanensis (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) over space and time. J. Parasitol. 79:744-750.]

Martin Bay Pond

Martin Bay Pond is the type locality for Actinocephalus carrilynnae Richardson and Janovy, 1990, a septate gregarine from the damselfly Enallagma civile. [This gregarine is locally notorious for being named after the describer's sister ("I'm going to find a parasite and name it after YOU!" is the actual threat--carried out.) Martin Bay Pond is also a local leech kingdom, at least some years, with most of the species being glossiphoniids. In recent years, however, MBP has been dry.

The South Platte River at Roscoe, NE

For CPBS parasitologists of the past 20 years, "Roscoe" has meant the South Platte River east of town. The new bridge at Roscoe provides easy access to the river, mainly because the old bridge was left standing (a historically significant piece of architecture), and thus there is plenty of safe parking area adjacent to the river. This scene is actually about 2 miles east of town, the collecting site for virtually all the Fundulus zebrinus parasite community research done in this lab since 1980. This is also the type locality for the monogenean, Salsuginus thalkeni Janovy, Ruhnke, and Wheeler, 1989 (from F. zebrinus.)

Thompson Pond, south of Eagle, NE

We added a major research site during the spring of 1997, and worked on it through the summer, thanks to Art and Carol Thompson. Their pond is a truly marvelous spot, literally seething with microscopic, and sometimes not so microscopic, animals throughout the spring and early summer. We returned to Thompson pond in 2001 with some very serious collecting, especially of odonates for gregarine studies. This wetland is truly remarkable, and all the more so because of Art and Carol's constant observation of it (a topic of conversation at many social occasions!)

Nickol Pond, west of Eagle, NE

This site is on the country estate of Dr. Brent Nickol, a fellow faculty member at UNL in Biological Sciences. Like many of the landowners we work with, he's not only a friend, but also a very generous supplier of collection sites. The pond is filled with aquatic vegetation, primarily because no cattle have been in there in recent years. Nickol Pond also supplied much of the material for several students who worked in Brent's lab on various acanthocephalan projects, as well as for the Biodiversity course (later changed to Organismic Biology) labs in the spring semesters. There is some merit in having your own wetland for research purposes!! Parasitologists have always, however, been quick to use local resources for both teaching and research.

Elk Creek west of Lincoln, NE

Elk Creek has been a regular collecting site for several years, and is one of Alaine Knipes' major study areas, where she's done work not only on parasite communities of three different minnow species, but also measured streamflow and water quality parameters. Elk Creek is the only first order stream in the Salt Valley Watershed that has planorbid snails in the stream itself (at least according to our field work of the last several years). It's also one of the sites used in the Weichman and Janovy study on the distribution of parasites, especially larval trematodes, in converging first-order streams (J. Parasit., 2000, 86:654-656). Access is relatively easy, the minnow fauna is predictable, and the fish are loaded (best reason of all for a parasitologist to love the place!) Compared to some of the other Salt Valley Watershed streams, this one is reasonably stable.

West Oak Creek west of Lincoln, NE

West Oak Creek has been a regular collecting site for several years, and like Elk and Oak Creeks is one of Alaine Knipes' study sites, where she's done work not only on parasite communities of three different minnow species, but also measured streamflow and water quality parameters. West Oak Creek is one of the most variable first order streams in the Salt Valley Watershed and it's notoriously difficult to seine. It's also one of the sites used in the Weichman and Janovy study on the distribution of parasites, especially larval trematodes, in converging first-order streams (J. Parasit., 2000, 86:654-656). Like many other Salt Valley streams, this one has a beaver population, some of which provide access through their slides! About the only thing convenient about West Oak is the little tree that is growing far down in the cut and provides something to hold onto when slogging around in the knee-deep mud.

Oak Creek northwest of Lincoln, NE

Oak Creek is another of Alaine Knipes' major collecting sites, and it's always a challenge--lots of physical labor involved--regardless of the season. When the water is up a little bit, the fish populations seem to get relatively dispersed, adding to the collecting labor. Oak Creek is also highly variable in streamflow and water quality parameters, compared to Elk. There are few if any snails in Oak Creek, and the ones that are there are physids. We've also used it as a source of fish, and their parasites, for undergraduate studies on structural variation between isolated populations of a single species of monogene. This creek, like many in Lancaster County, has a healthy beaver population, and furthermore, the water can get deep and swift in a hurry. This particular picture was taken from the bridge during one of West Oak Creek's more pleasant and cooperative moods!

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to the landowners of the above properties, people who have made it possible for us to do our teaching and research for the past 25 years in western Nebraska. Special thanks are due Duane Dunwoody, the Sillasen family, Charles Thalken, Randy Peterson, Tom McGinley, Brent Nickol, Art and Carol Thompson. THANKS!!

Sunsets from the Rock

If you consider unconstrained commentary on cosmic questions, serious, far-ranging, conversations with like-minded friends, and the gathering of ideas, all part of one's research activities, then "The Rock" is one of our most important "collecting" sites.

(Photo by Megan Wise.)