Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC)
MAISRC researchers and staff are important partners in the work we do, and are a key UMN resource to mitigate the impact of AIS in Minnesota. Below are some ways in which we collaborate with them.
Research projects
- Development of new tools for detecting aquatic invasive plants
- Next generation AIS monitoring: comparing the speed, sensitivity, specificity, cost and throughput of multiple eDNA detection methods
- Genomic surveillance of zebra mussel populations
- Optimizing MinION field protocols for detecting aquatic invasive plants in Upper Mississippi River Basin
- Managing water quality and invasive macrophytes to promote healthy native aquatic plant communities
- Identifying characteristics of invasion prone waterbodies
- Hydrodynamic resilience to invasive mussels
- Local and landscape-level effectiveness of aquatic invasive species prevention
- Quantifying heterogeneous impacts of invasive zebra mussels on walleye habitat, food webs, and mercury concentrations
Training
The AIS Detectors program trains individuals to make credible aquatic invasive species reports to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
Starry Trek is a statewide search for starry stonewort and other aquatic invasive species that happens every August. Participants arrive at a local training site near them to receive their training, equipment and lake monitoring route and then spend the morning searching local lakes.