A Trusted Research Partner for Four Decades
With four decades of experience, Aquatic Biology Associates has developed and maintained relationships with many of North America’s leading freshwater invertebrate specialists. Working with us means you have access to a network of experts in their field of study and a trusted partner in your research.
Experimental design consultation for freshwater ecological studies.
Aquatic Biology Associates can better advise on appropriate field and laboratory protocols that produce robust data at the best cost when we achieve mutual clarity and understanding of project objectives.
Design of biomonitoring programs for trend analysis or compliance.
What are the most appropriate sampling and laboratory protocols for your individual project that feed seamlessly into regional databases? Where should sampling sites be located on a waterbody, and how many? When should samples be taken? These are questions Aquatic Biology Associates has decades of experience handling. We know regulatory agency requirements and protocols that may affect your project.
Field sampling and surveys of streams, rivers, springs, lakes, and wetlands.
Aquatic Biology Associates personnel are available to conduct field sampling on a limited basis. We can also recommend some of our associates for assistance in handling the entire field sampling program or providing experienced technicians.
Rare, endangered, and sensitive freshwater invertebrate surveys.
Our primary expertise is the insect order Trichoptera (caddisflies), many of which are on various state and federal sensitive species lists. This diverse order of insects contains species that have penetrated nearly all freshwater habitats, making them an excellent and manageable subset of the total freshwater fauna to focus on for biodiversity studies.
Statistical data analysis.
Our proprietary R program for data analysis is recognized as one of the best and most flexible available. It includes formats that can be easily modified to incorporate into databases.
Length/weight regression analysis for biomass calculation.
Aquatic Biology Associates pioneered this approach for use with western North American macroinvertebrates. Contact us for examples if you are interested.
Data interpretation and reports.
Complex macroinvertebrate communities and life history and tolerance traits associated with each taxon produce a bewildering array of community description metrics and statistics. Let us help you focus on key signals in your data.
Taxonomic identification of macroinvertebrates.
Benthic samples: We typically apply a standard taxonomic effort (STE) to analyze benthic macroinvertebrate samples. Our default STE for the PNW is the Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership (PNAMP) version by Wisseman, Sullivan, and Pfeiffer (2024 in review). This includes Chironomidae (midges) to genus or species group. In the southwest states, our default STE is the Southwest Association of Freshwater Invertebrate Taxonomists level 2. Default STEs can be modified to better address project objectives and budgets.
- Fish stomach contents for food web studies. We have developed our own standard taxonomic effort (STE) and sample processing protocol, which can include biomass analysis.
- Drift, emergence, light trap, pan trap samples. We have extensive experience with terrestrial macroinvertebrate samples for bird food web studies in addition to freshwater habitats.
- QA/QC and identification verification. Aquatic Biology Associates routinely acts as an independent laboratory to verify the accuracy of taxonomy produced by other laboratories.
Our standard analysis for benthic samples from running waters includes:
1
Random sub-sampling of invertebrates in the sample to obtain 500-600 organisms.
2
Removal of macroinvertebrates from sediments/sample matrix under a microscope providing a 95+% sorting efficacy.
3
Identification of invertebrates consistent with the Southwest Association of Freshwater Invertebrate Taxonomists (SAFIT level 2), and Pacific Northwest Aquatic Monitoring Partnership (PNAMP) standard taxonomic effort.
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Archiving identified macroinvertebrate samples for potential quality assurance/quality control analysis of taxonomic accuracy.
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Spreadsheet of taxa abundances and summary statistics for each sample.
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Community profile: an extensive listing of metrics calculated from sample data.
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An Excel spreadsheet record type file of all taxa abundance data suitable for importing into a database.
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Example data analysis files featuring our proprietary R script program are available upon request.
Price Guidelines
Many variables affect the cost of processing freshwater benthic macroinvertebrate samples. Factors include the taxonomic level of identification for each macroinvertebrate group, the habitat sampled, the sample method and mesh size used, the difficulty of sorting invertebrates from the sample matrix, the type of data analysis, and the extent of interpretive reports.
The price for a standard analysis varies between $200 and $450 per sample, depending on project-specific variables.
Aquatic Biology Associates can help you clarify your project objectives and data requirements. We can recommend robust sample processing specifications and provide a specific quote.