Lake Erie Mayflies Elude Identification No More
Ann Arbor, MI — Adult burrowing mayflies are a common sight around the Great Lakes, where they emerge from the lakes in large numbers during June each year and fly to shore. Currently, there are two known species of burrowing mayflies in Lake Erie. Adult males of these species are easy to distinguish using their reproductive structures, but female adults and immature nymphs cannot be distinguished. Because most of the life cycles of these species is spent as nymphs burrowed in the sediment, it is particularly important to distinguish these species during this life stage. This situation has changed due to a new publication in the Journal of Great Lakes Research.
"Mayflies have been important species in Lake Erie, and were nearly extinct in the western basin. Up until now, there has not been a way to determine the distribution and abundance of these two species until they emerge as adults," says Dr. Curt Elderkin, an Associate Professor at The College of New Jersey, "Scientists who work with these mayflies now have some useful new tools to distinguish these species."
Here’s how these tools work. Using a special part of a mayfly’s DNA (called a DNA Barcode), scientists can compare these sections of DNA and easily establish the species identity of nymphs and adults. Also, as scientists take a better look at the dark and light patches on the backs of the nymphs and adults, the patterns of pigmented patches differ between species. The DNA study confirmed that the pigmented patterns can be used to distinguish the two species in both the nymph and adult stages. These new tools will help scientists monitor populations of mayflies in the Great Lakes.
Original Publication Information
Results of this study, "DNA barcoding to confirm morphological traits and determine relative abundance of burrowing mayfly species in western Lake Erie," are reported by Curt L. Elderkin, Lynda D. Corkum, Claudia Bustos, Erica L. Cunningham, and David J. Berg in Volume 38, No. 1, of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, published by Elsevier, 2012.
Contacts
For more information about the study, contact Curt L. Elderkin, Department of Biology, The College of New Jersey, PO Box 7718, Ewing NJ 08628; elderkin@tcnj.edu.
For information about the Journal of Great Lakes Research, contact Marlene Evans, Editor, National Water Research Institute, Environment Canada, 11 Innovation Boulevard, Saskatoon, SK, S7N 3H5, Canada; jglr@ec.gc.ca; (306) 975-5310.
Since 1967, IAGLR has served as the focal point for compiling and disseminating multidisciplinary knowledge on North America's Laurentian Great Lakes and other large lakes of the world and their watersheds. In part, IAGLR communicates this knowledge through publication of the Journal of Great Lakes Research, available to members in print and electronic form. A searchable archive of the journal is available online and includes the abstracts of articles from the journal's inception in 1975 through the most recent issue. In addition, complete articles are available to members who have signed up for an electronic subscription.