Jack W. Feminella Professor and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, COSAM Aquatic/Stream Ecology OFFICE: 249 Sciences Center Classroom Building PHONE: (334) 844-4555 E-MAIL: feminjw@auburn.edu

Research Interests

Dr. Jack W. Feminella is Professor of Aquatic Ecology in the Department of Biological Sciences. He has studied ecology of a wide variety of freshwater communities in Oregon, California, Washington, Arkansas, and in the southeastern United States since 1978. At Auburn University, he and his students are currently evaluating benthic invertebrates, water quality, and watershed conditions in Piedmont, Appalachian, and Coastal Plains streams of the Southeast. Lab research focusses on understanding biotic and abiotic controls of stream benthic communities, including contemporary and historical influences of humans on streams. 

Specific research interests include: 

• Effects of watershed disturbance on stream populations and communities.
• Ecology of benthic invertebrates in temporary habitats.
• Biological interactions and life history patterns of aquatic invertebrates.
• Influence of aquatic invertebrate grazers on stream ecosystems.
• Experimental design and analysis of aquatic ecological studies.

Completed Theses & Dissertations

• Mary Lou Ewald, M.S. 1995. Effects of environmental pH and calcium on the physiology, behavior, and shell strength of freshwater snails.
• Michael Chadwick, M.S. 1997. Influences of seasonal salinity and temperature on Hexagenia limbata (Serville) (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae) in the Mobile River
• Charles Howard, M.S. 1999. Effects of suspended sediment on the growth, behavior, and tissue condition of the freshwater mussel, Amblema plicata.
• Kristin Lenertz, M.S. 2002. Biology, grazing, and physiology of a stream snail Elimia flava (Gastropoda: Prosobranchia) naturally infected by a trematode parasite.
• Daniel Rinella, M.S. 2002. Influence of coarse woody debris on macroinvertebrate assemblages in Alabama coastal plains streams.
• Ken Fritz, Ph.D. 2002. The roles of aquatic and riparian vegetation at the aquatic-terrestrial interface of southeastern streams.
• Lara Panayotoff, M.S. 2002. Patterns in benthic algae across a geologically diverse landscape.
• Michael Gangloff, Ph.D. 2003. The status, physical habitat associations, and parasites of freshwater mussels in the Upper Alabama River Drainage, Alabama.
• Kelly Maloney, Ph.D. 2004. The influence of catchment-scale disturbance on low-order streams at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA.
• Stephanie Miller, M.S. 2006. Relationships between wood and benthic algae: influence of landscape disturbance and decomposer competition.
• Abbie Tomba, Ph.D. 2006. Effects of trematode parasites on habitat use and disturbance response of freshwater snails in the genus Elimia.
• Brian Helms, Ph.D. 2008. Response of aquatic biota to changing land use pattern in streams of west Georgia, USA.
• Richard Mitchell, Ph.D. 2009. The influence of coarse woody debris, disturbance, and restoration on biological communities in sandy coastal plains streams.
• Emily Hartfield, M.S. 2010. Consequences of low-head dams on crayfish distribution and gene flow in Alabama streams.
• Molli Newman, Ph.D. 2011. Molecular phyolgenetic characterization of microbioal assemblage dynamics associated with freshwater stream environmental organic matter sources.
• Jo-Marie Kasinak, M.S. 2013. Methods for monitoring and controlling freshwater harmful algal blooms. 
• Brad Schneid, Ph.D. 2015. Effects of regional and landscape-scale factors on the hydrology, physicochemistry, and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates in streams of the southeastern USA.
• Sue Colvin, Ph.D. 2016. Ecological influences on fish assemblages across a regional gradient and between stream types.
• Stephen Sefick, Ph.D. 2016. Relationships between benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages and the physical environment in sandy Southeastern Plains streams, with emphasis on stream geomorphology, hydrology, and watershed disturbance.
• Mallary Clay, M.S. 2016. Population structure of burrowing bog crayfishes and the use of environmental DNA for their detection.

Theses & Dissertations in Progress

• Eric Bauer, Ph.D. 2019. Patterns in biodiversity in Appalachian streams: insights from communities of crayfishes, macroinvertebrates, fishes, and fish parasites.

Selected Publications 

• Sefick, S. A., E. Kosnicki, M. H. Paller, and J. W. Feminella. 2018. Hydrogeomorphic reference condition and its relationship with macroinvertebrate assemblages in Southeastern US Sand Hills streams. Journal of the American Water Resources Association https://doi.org/10.1111/1752-1688.12650
• Schneid, B. P., C. J. Anderson, and J. W. Feminella. 2017. The influence of low-intensity watershed development on the hydrology, geomorphology, physicochemistry, and macroinvertebrate diversity of small coastal plains streams. Ecological Engineering 108:380-390 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/jecoleng.2017.05.052
• Helms, B. S, N. A. Bickford, N. W. Tubbs, and J. W. Feminella. 2017. Feeding, growth, and trophic position of Redbreast Sunfish (Lepomis auritus) in watersheds of differing land cover in the lower Piedmont, USA. Urban Ecosystems https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-017-0696-8
• Paller, M. H., B. A. Prusha, D. E. Fletcher, E. Kosnicki, S. A. Sefick, S. C. Sterrett, A. M. Grosse, T. D. Tuberville, and J. W. Feminella. 2016a. Factors influencing stream fish species composition and functional properties at multiple spatial scales in the Sand Hills of the southeastern United States. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 145:545-562. PDF
• Paller, M. H., E. Kosnicki, B. A. Prusha, D. E. Fletcher, S. A. Sefick and J. W. Feminella. 2016b. Development of an Index of Biotic Integrity for the Sand Hills Ecoregion of the Southeastern United States. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 146:112-127 http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00028487.2016.1240104
• Newman, M. M., M. R. Liles, and J. W. Feminella. 2015. Litter breakdown and microbial succession on two submerged leaf species in a small forested stream. PLOS ONE 10(6) e0130801, doi 10.1371. PDF
• Sefick, S. A., L. Kalin, E. Kosnicki, B. P. Schneid, M. S. Jarrell, C. J. Anderson, M. H. Paller, and J. W. Feminella. 2015. Empirical estimation of stream discharge using channel geometry in low-gradient, sand-bed streams of the Southeasterns Plains. Journal of the American Water Resources Association doi:10.1111/jawr.12278 PDF
• Kosnicki, E., S. A. Sefick, M. H. Paller, M. S. Jarrell, B. A. Prusha, S. C. Sterret, T. D. Tuberville, and J. W. Feminella. 2014. Defining the reference condition for wadeable streams in the Sand Hills subdivision of the Southeastern Plains ecoregion, USA. Environmental Management doi: 10.1007/s00267-014-0320-0 PDF
• Helms, B., W. Budnick, P. Pecora, J. Skipper, E. Kosnicki, J. W. Feminella, and J. Stoeckel. 2013. The influence of  soil type, congeneric cues, and floodplain connectivity on the local distribution of the devil crayfish (Cambarus diogenes Girard). Freshwater Science 32:1333-1344. PDF
• Gangloff, M. M., E. E. Hartfield, D. C. Werneke, and J. W. Feminella. 2011. Associations between small dams and mollusk assemblages in Alabama streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 30:1107-1116. PDF 
• Helms, B. S., D. C. Werneke, M. M. Gangloff, E. E. Hartfield, and J. W. Feminella. 2011. The influence of low-head dams on fish assemblages in streams across Alabama. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 30:1095-1106.PDF  
• Fritz, K. M. and J. W. Feminella. 2011. Invertebrate colonization of leaves and roots with sediments of intermittent Coastal Plain streams across hydrologic phases. Aquatic Sciences DOI 10.1007/s00027-011-0192-9. PDF
• Newman, M. M., J. W. Feminella, and M. R. Liles, 2010. Purification of genomic DNA extracted from environmental sources for use in polymerase chain reaction. Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. DOI 10.1101/pdb.prot5383. PDF
• Holomuzki, J. M., J. W. Feminella, and M. E. Power. 2010. Biotic interactions in freshwater benthic habitats. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 29:220-244. PDF
• Ewald, M., J.W. Feminella, K. K. Lenertz, and R. P. Henry. 2009. Acute physiological responses of the freshwater snail Elimia flava (Mollusca: Pleuroceridiae) to environmental calcium and pH. Compariative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C. 150:231-236. PDF
• Helms, B.S., J. E. Schoonover, and J. W. Feminella. 2009. Seasonal variability of landuse impacts on stream macroinvertebrate assemblages in streams of western Georgia. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 28:991-1006. PDF
• Helms, B.S., J. E. Schoonover, and J. W. Feminella. 2009. Assessing influences of hydrology, physicochemistry, and habitat on stream fish assemblages across a changing landscape. Journal of the American Water Resources Association 45:157-169. PDF
• Gangloff, M. M., K. K. Lenertz, and J. W. Feminella. 2008. Parasitic mite and trematode abundance are associated with reduced reproductive output and physiological conditions of freshwater mussels. Hydrobiologia DOI 10.1007/s10750-008-9419-8. PDF
• Maloney, K.O, J. W. Feminella, P. J. Mulholland, R. M. Mitchell, S. A. Miller, and J. N Houser. 2008. Land use legacies and small streams: identifying relationships between historical landuse and contemporary stream conditions. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 27:280-294. PDF
• Gangloff, M. M. and J. W Feminella. 2007. Distribution and status of freshwater mussels in the Coosa and lower Tallapoosa River drainages, Alabama. Bulletin of the Alabama Museum of Natural History 25:24-70
• Lamberti, G.A., J.W. Feminella, and C.M. Pringle. 2006. Producer–consumer interactions, Pages 537-559 in: F. A. Hauer and G.A. Lamberti, editors. Methods in stream ecology. 2nd edition. Academic Press, San Diego, California.
• Gangloff, M. M., J. D. Williams, and J. W. Feminella. 2006. A new species of freshwater mussel (Bivalvia: Unionidae), Pleurobema athearni, from the Coosa River drainage of Alabama, USA. Zootaxa 1118:43-56. PDF
• Gangloff, M. M. and J. W Feminella. 2006. Stream channel geomorphology influences mussel abundance in southern Appalachian streams, USA. Freshwater Biology 52:64-74. PDF
• Maloney, K. O. and J. W. Feminella. 2006. Evaluation of single- and multi-metric benthic macroinvertebrate indicators of catchment disturbance at the Fort Benning Military Installation, Georgia, USA. Ecological Indicators, 6:469-484. PDF
• Fritz, K. M., J. W. Feminella, C. Colson, B. G. Lockaby, R. Governo, and R. B. Rummer. 2006. Biomass and decay rates of roots and detritus in sediments of intermittent Coastal Plain streams. Hydrobiologia, 556:265-277. PDF
• Walsh, C. J., A. H. Roy, J. W. Feminella, P. D. Cottingham, P. M. Groffman, and R. P. Morgan. 2005. The urban stream syndrome: current knowledge and the search for a cure. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 24:706–723. PDF
• Rinella, D.J. and J. W. Feminella. 2005. Comparison of benthic macroinvertebrates colonizing sand, wood, and artificial substrates in a low-gradient stream. Journal of Freshwater Ecology, 20:209–220.
• Maloney, K.O., P. J. Mulholland, and J.W. Feminella. 2005. Influence of catchment-scale military land use on stream physical and organic matter variables in small Southeastern Plains streams (USA). Environmental Management, 35:677–691. PDF
• Helms, B.S. , J.W. Feminella, and S. Pan. 2005. Detection of biotic responses to urbanization using fish assemblages rom small streams of western Georgia, USA. Urban Ecosystems, 8:39–57.PDF
• Fritz, K. M., M. M. Gangloff, and J. W. Feminella. 2004. Habitat modification by the stream macrophyte Justicia americana. Oecologia 140:388-397. PDF
• Fritz, K. M., M. A. Evans, and J. W. Feminella. 2004. Factors affecting biomass allocation in the riverine macrophyte, Justicia americana . Aquatic Botany 78:279-288. PDF
• Fritz, K. M., and J. W. Feminella. 2003. Substrate stability associated with the emergent riverine macrophyte. Justicia americana, Freshwater Biology 48:1-10. PDF
• Chadwick, M.A., J. W. Feminella, H. Hunter, and R. P. Henry. 2002. Salt and water balance in Hexagenia limbata (Ephemeroptera: Ephemeridae) when exposed to brackish water. Florida Entomologist 85:560-561. PDF
• Chadwick, M.A. and J. W. Feminella. 2001. Influence of salinity and temperature on the growth and production of a freshwater mayfly population along a salinity gradient in the Lower Mobile River, Alabama. Limnology and Oceanography 46:532-542. PDF
• Feminella, J. W. 2000. Correspondence between stream macroinvertebrate assemblages and 4 ecoregions of the southeastern USA. Journal of the North American Benthological Society19:442-461. PDF
• Hawkins, C. P., R. H. Norris, J. N. Hogue, and J. W. Feminella. 2000. Development and evaluation of predictive models for measuring the biological integrity of streams. Ecological Applications 10:1456-1477. PDF
• Feminella, J. W. and K. W. Flynn. 1999. The Alabama Watershed Demonstration Project: Biotic indicators of water quality. Alabama Cooperative Extensive System Circular ANR-1167. PDF
• Hawkins, C. P., J. N. Hogue, L. M. Decker, and J. W. Feminella. 1997. Channel morphology, water temperature, and assemblage structure of stream insects. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 16:728-749. PDF
• Feminella, J. W. 1996. Comparison of benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in small streams along a gradient of flow permanence. Journal of the North American Benthological Society15:651-668. PDF
• Feminella, J. W. and C. P. Hawkins. 1995. Interactions between stream herbivores and periphyton: a quantitative analysis of past experiments. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 14:465-509. PDF
• Feminella, J. W. and C. P. Hawkins. 1994. Tailed frog tadpoles differentially alter their feeding behavior in response to non-visual cues from four predators. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 13:310-320. PDF
• Feminella, J. W., and V. H. Resh. 1991. Herbivorous caddisflies, macroalgae, and epilithic microalgae: dynamic interactions in a stream grazing system. Oecologia 87:247-256.
• Feminella, J. W. and V. H. Resh. 1990. Hydrologic influences, disturbance, and intraspecific competition in a stream caddisfly population. Ecology 71:2083-2094. PDF
• Feminella, J. W., M. E. Power, and V. H. Resh. 1989. Periphyton response to grazing invertebrates and riparian canopy in three northern California coastal streams. Freshwater Biology22:445-457.
• Feminella, J. W. and V. H. Resh. 1989. Submersed macrophytes and grazing crayfish: an experimental study of herbivory in a freshwater marsh. Holarctic Ecology 12:1-8. PDF

Grants

• US Dept. of Defense, Dept. of Energy, & Environmental Protection Agency: Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) "Evaluating the long-term ecological responses to riparian ecosyustem restoration at Fort Benning, GA, Military Installation" (Co-PI with N. Griffiths [Oak Ridge National Laboratory] and B. Helms [Auburn], 2017-2019.
• National Science Foundation, Collaborative Research, Digitization TCN-InvertEBase: "Reaching back to see the future: species-rich invertebrate faunas document causes and consequences of biodiversity shifts" (Co-PI with J. Bond and C. Ray) 2014-2017.
• US Environmental Protection Agency: "Eco-morphological mitigation design and assessment tools for the Alabama and Tennessee Appalachian Plateau" (Co-PI with E. Brantley, B. Helms, A. Ludwig, J. Shaw, G. Jennings, C. Anderson, and D. Werneke), 2013-2015.
• National Science Foundation, Biological Research Collections: "Improvements to the Auburn University Natural History Museum." (Co-PI with L. Goertzen, J. Armbruster, and C. Guyer), 2010-2012. 
• US Dept. of Defense, Dept. of Energy, & Environmental Protection Agency: Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP), "Development of ecological reference models and an assessment framework for streams on the Atlantic Coastal Plain." (Co-PI with M. Paller, Savannah River National Laboratory), 2009-2012.  
• National Science Foundation, Graduate Division of Education –“GK-12 fellows in science and mathematics for East Alabama Schools”. (Co-PI with O.M. Jenda) 2006-2009.
• Alabama State Wildlife Grant: “Alabama Mill Dam Inventory (AMDI): an assessment of the impact of low-head dams on mollusck, crayfish and fish assemblages in Alabama streams.” (Co-PI with M. M. Gangloff and D. E. Wernke). 2006-2008.
• National Science Foundation –Biological Research Collections "Improvements to the Auburn University aquatic invertebrate, fish, and amphibian and reptile collections." (Co-PI with J. Armbruster and C. Guyer) 2003-2005.
• US Dept. of Defense, Dept. of Energy, & Environmental Protection Agency: Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) "Riparian ecosystem management at military installations: determination of impacts and evaluation of restoration and enhancement strategies." (Co-PI with P. Mulholland [Oak Ridge] and G. Lockaby, [AU School of Forestry and Wildlife], 2001-2007).
• USDA Forest Service: "Occurrence of Cambarus englishi and Cambarus halli within theTalladega and Tuskegee National Forests, Alabama. (2002-2003).
• USDA Forest Service: "Status, distribution, and ecology of unionid mussels in streams of the Tuskeegee National Forest, Alabama. (2000-2001).
• US Dept. of Defense, Dept. of Energy, & Environmental Protection Agency: Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) "Evaluation of stream macroinvertebrate community parameters as indicators of ecological change resulting from military training at Fort Benning, Georgia." (Co-PI with P. Mulholland [Oak Ridge], 1999-2003).
• USDA Forest Service. "Benthic invertebrate assemblages within small streams of contrasting geology within the Sipsey Wilderness, Bankhead National Forest, Alabama." (1999-2000).
• USDA Forest Service. "Biological water quality responses to riparian zone management in Coastal Plain streams" (1998-2001).
• Alabama Department of Conservation & Natural Resources, Division of Game & Fish. "Analysis of relationships between unionid mussels and stream hydrology in tributaries of the Coosa River, Alabama" (1998-2000).
• USDA Forest Service, National Forests in Alabama: "Response of stream invertebrates to forest understory management: effects of understory thinning and prescribed burning" (1994-1999).
• American Forestry & Paper Association / Conservation Fund: "Relationships between watershed characteristics and non-point source pollution: cumulative impacts." (Co-PI with G. Lockaby, L. Teeter, K. Flynn, and M. MacKenzie, AU School of Forestry, 1996-1998).
• US Geological Survey & State Water Resources Research Institute Program: "Effects of forest understory management on stream water quality: Assessment of natural variation" (1995-1996).

Classes

• Organismal Biology (BIOL 1030) 
• General Ecology (BIOL 3060)
• Invertebrate Biodiversity (BIOL 4010)
• Senior Seminar in Ecology (BIOL 4950)
• Stream Ecology (BIOL 7370)

Useful Links

• Society for Freshwater Science (formerly North American Benthological Society) http://www.freshwater-science.org/
• Ecological Society of America http://esa.org/
• Society for Conservation Biology http://conbio.org/
• Auburn University Museum & Biodiversity Learning Center http://aumnh.org/
• Alabama Water Watch http://www.alabamawaterwatch.org/