Bottom dwellers and the health of the Chesapeake Bay

DANIEL DAUER, professor and eminent scholar of Biological Sciences recently received funding for two research projects titled, "Chesapeake Bay Project: Benthic Monitoring Component Data Collection" and "Chesapeake Bay Project: Data Analysis and Management" from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality.

Dr Dauer and his research group have received this funding to continue their analyses of long-term trends in the biota of Chesapeake Bay. These studies have included examining the relationships between land use, nutrient and contamination levels, and the condition of living (biotic) communities in the bay in order to assess whether there are any improvements in the Bay’s health as part of the Chesapeake Bay Restoration Program.  Benthic invertebrates are used as indicators of the health of esturine environments as they have been shown to respond to environmental stress.