Martin B. Berg
Professor
Ph.D. 1990, University of Notre Dame
Aquatic Ecologist
Phone: 773.508.8853
E-mail: mberg@luc.edu
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RESEARCH INTERESTS
My primary research interest involves the study of aquatic insects to address both basic and applied ecological questions. Most of my research has focused on the role of aquatic insects in energy flow in lakes and streams. One group of aquatic insects that largely has been ignored in freshwater studies is the dipteran family Chironomidae, the non-biting midges. Although these organisms are frequently the numerically dominant insects in aquatic habitats and have been used extensively in environmental assessment, the time-intensive and difficult nature of collecting and identifying midges has deterred most aquatic ecologists from examining the importance of this group in aquatic systems. My previous research has examined the role of chironomids in streams by assessing their importance in energy flow. Results from this research have demonstrated that chironomids can account for over 80% of aquatic insect secondary production.
Because of the importance of aquatic insects in energy flow in aquatic ecosystems, my current research is examining how the introduction of exotic species in the Great Lakes is altering food webs and energy flow. The Great Lakes have been subjected to a series of invasions by a variety of organisms over the past century. Although many of these organisms have no noticeable impact on ecosystem function, some invasions can result in profound changes to benthic food webs. I have been investigating changes in nearshore Great Lakes food webs resulting from the recent invasions of zebra mussels, round gobies, and Eurasian ruffe. My research has shown that these species have had measurable impacts on benthic food webs resulting in substantial changes in energy flow. These changes in energy flow can influence water quality, the availability of food resources, and the mobilization of toxic substances, such as PCBs, to higher trophic levels.
REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS
O'Brien, T.E. and M.B. Berg. 2009. Getting the most from data - maximizing information and power by using appropriate and modern statistical methods. Journal of Data Science 7:537-550.()
Lessard, J.L., R.W. Merritt, and M.B. Berg. 2009. Investigating the effect of marine-derived nutrients from spawning salmon on macroinvertebrate secondary production in southeast Alaskan streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 28:683-693. ()
Ng, C.A., M.B. Berg, D.J. Jude, J. Janssen, P.M. Charlebois, L.A.N. Amaral, and K.A. Gray. 2008. Chemical amplification in an invaded food web: seasonality and ontogeny in a high biomass, low diversity ecosystem. Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry 27:2186-2195. ()
Merritt, R.W., K.W. Cummins, and M.B. Berg, eds. 2008. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. 4th Ed., Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., Dubuque, Iowa.
Ferrington, Jr., L.C., M.B. Berg, and W.P. Coffman. 2008. Chironomidae. Chapter 26 In: R.W. Merritt, K.W. Cummins, and M.B. Berg, eds. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. 4th Ed., Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., Dubuque, Iowa..
Merritt, R.W., K.W. Cummins, and M.B. Berg. 2008. Introduction. Chapter 1 In: R.W. Merritt, K.W. Cummins, and M.B. Berg, eds. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. 4th Ed., Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., Dubuque, Iowa..
Cummins, K.W., R.W. Merritt, and M.B. Berg. 2008. General morphology of aquatic insects. Chapter 2 In: R.W. Merritt, K.W. Cummins, and M.B. Berg, eds. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. 4th Ed., Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., Dubuque, Iowa..
Cummins, K.W., R.W. Merritt, and M.B. Berg. 2008. Ecology and distribution of aquatic insects. Chapter 6 In: R.W. Merritt, K.W. Cummins, and M.B. Berg, eds. An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. 4th Ed., Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., Dubuque, Iowa..
Carman, S.M., J. Janssen, D.J. Jude, and M.B. Berg. 2006. Diel interactions between prey behavior and feeding in an invasive fish, the round goby, in a North American river. Freshwater Biology 51:742-755. ()
Merritt, R.W., J.L. Lessard, K.J. Wessell, O. Hernandez, M.B. Berg, J.R. Wallace, J.A. Novak, J. Ryan, and B.W. Merritt. 2005. Lack of effects of Bacillus sphaericus (Vectolex®) on nontarget organisms in a mosquito control program in southeastern Wisconsin: a 3-year study. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 21:201-212. ()
Janssen, J.,M.B. Berg, and S.J. Lozano. 2005. Submerged terra incognita: Lake Michigan's abundant but unknown rocky zones. Pages 113-139 In: T. Edsall and M. Munawar, eds. The Lake Michigan Ecosystem: Ecology, Health and Management. Ecovision World Monograph Series, SBP Publishing, Amsterdam.
Hanari, N., K. Kannan, Y. Horii, S. Taniyasu, N. Yamashita, D.J. Jude, and M.B. Berg. 2004. Polychlorinated naphthalenes and polychlorinated biphenyls in a benthic food chain. Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. 47:84-93 ()
Merritt, R.W., K.W. Cummins, M.B. Berg, J.A. Novak, M.J. Higgins, K.J. Wessell, and J.L. Lessard. 2002. Development and application of a macroinvertebrate functional group approach in the bioassessment of remnant oxbows in southwest Florida. Journal of the North American Benthological Society 21:290-310. ()
Berg, M.B. and R.W. Merritt. 2002. Larval Growth of Insects. Encyclopedia of Insects, V.H. Resh and R.T. Card, eds. Academic Press.
Kuhns, L.A. and M.B. Berg. 1999. Benthic invertebrate community responses to round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) and zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) invasion in southern Lake Michigan. Journal of Great Lakes Research 25:910-917. ()
Berg, M.B., L.C. Ferrington, Jr., and B.L. Hayford, eds. 1998. Part 2. Biology, ecology and natural history of Chironomidae. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 71(4):383-504.
Berg, M.B., L.C. Ferrington, Jr., and B.L. Hayford, eds. 1998. Part 1. Taxonomy and systematics of Chironomidae. Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 71(3): 195-382.
Fullerton, A.H., G.A. Lamberti, D.M. Lodge, and M.B. Berg. 1998. Prey preferences of Eurasian ruffe and yellow perch: comparison of laboratory results with composition of Great Lakes benthos. Journal of Great Lakes Research 24:319-328. ()
Alexander, M.K., R.W. Merritt, and M.B. Berg. 1997. New strategies for the control of the parthenogenetic chironomid (Paratanytarsus grimmii) (Diptera: Chironomidae) infesting water systems. Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association 13:189-192. ()
Merritt, R.W., J.R. Wallace, M.J. Higgins, M.K. Alexander, M.B. Berg, W.T. Morgan, K.W. Cummins, and B. VandenEeden. 1996. Procedures for the functional analysis of invertebrate communities of the Kissimmee River-Floodplain ecosystem. Florida Scientist 59:216-275. ()
Berg, M.B., R.W. Merritt, K.W. Cummins, W.P. Coffman, and L.C. Ferrington, Jr. 1996. Ecological and distributional data for Chironomidae (Diptera). Pages 744 -754 In: R.W. Merritt and K.W. Cummins (eds.). An Introduction to the Aquatic Insects of North America. 3rd Ed. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Co., Dubuque, Iowa.
Berg, M.B. 1995. Larval food and feeding behavior. Pages 136-168 In: P.D. Armitage, P.S. Cranston and L.C.V. Pinder (eds.). The Chironomidae: The Biology and Ecology of Non-Biting Midges. Chapman and Hall, London.
Berg, M.B. 1995. Infestation of enclosed water supplies by chironomids (Diptera: Chironomidae): two case studies. In: P.S. Cranston (ed.). Chironomids - from Genes to Ecosystems. CSIRO Publications.
Lamberti, G.A. and M.B. Berg. 1995. Invertebrates and other benthic features as indicators of environmental change in Juday Creek, Indiana. Natural Areas Journal 15:249-258.
