Jasmine Williamshen
Advisor:
Alison O’Dowd, Ph.D.
Graduation Year:
2021
Jasmine's research explored the impact of streamflows on benthic macroinvertebrate (BMI) communities. Since juvenile rearing is the limiting life stage for Chinook salmon on the Trinity River and juvenile salmonids are strongly dependent on benthic macroinvertebrates as a food source, it is crucial to understand the effects of flow releases on drift forage dynamics. One aspect of her project focused on the effects of streamflows on BMI drift composition, concentration, and biomass before and during pulse flow releases from Lewiston Dam on the Trinity River. The second aspect of her project explored if the duration of inundated marginal habitat had an effect on BMI benthic colonization, composition, concentration, and/or biomass. The results from this study may provide a deeper understanding of how altering streamflows affect processes that support important biota and can assist management with making water allocation decisions.
