Tinoco to study invasive species interactions

Assistant professor Rafael Tinoco has received a grant from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to develop a holistic assessment to account for the interactions among invasive species and the health of ecosystems in the Upper Mississippi basin.

The project is titled "Enemy of my enemy? Ecohydraulic assessment of interactions of multiple invasive species in the Upper Mississippi River basin." Through a series of laboratory experiments at Tinoco’s Ecohydraulics and Ecomorphodynamics Laboratory (EEL), the study will focus on the hydrodynamic, morphodynamic and water quality effects of various types of aquatic invasive species: macrophytes, fish and mollusks.

The group aims to develop a framework to improve understanding of the species’ impact on lakes and rivers, including water quality and ecosystem dynamics; identify lake and river characteristics that promote or hinder their establishment; and guide management decisions that will improve water resources at the regional scale.

The grant was awarded through the USGS Illinois Water Resources Center as part of its “Water Resources Research Act Program – Aquatic Invasive Species Competitive Grants FY2021 Program.”