Research

Our research interests are focused on the investigation of the factors regulating the current and future distributions and diversity of aquatic taxa across multiple spatial scales.  A primary goal of this research is to develop hydrologically-based GIS approaches for the study of aquatic biodiversity.

 

Specific Research Projects

• Influence of current and future hydrologic variability on the distribution and 

   diversity of aquatic taxa.

 

• Generation of fine-scale GIS data to examine niche characteristics in stream 

   and river fish assemblages.

  

• Local adaptation to temperature and flow regimes in North American fishes.

 

• Evolution of geographic ranges and regional biodiversity in North American

   fishes.

 

Current External Funding

2009 - 14  Development of GIS applications for the study of aquatic biodiversity: assessing environmental factors regulating fish assemblages across multiple scales. National Science Foundation Career Award, $503,291.  (Knouft, PI)

**Supplement to Career Award to establish a morphometrics workstation and initiate research on the relationship between morphological variation in fishes and hydrologic variability.  National Science Foundation, $58,659.

**Research Opportunity Award Supplement to Career Award to study the distribution of endangered wetland plants in Illinois and Missouri.  National Science Foundation, $23,000. 

 

2009 - 12  Combining climate model predictions, hydrological modeling, and ecological niche modeling algorithms to predict the impacts of climate change on aquatic biodiversity.  Environmental Protection Agency, Science To Achieve Results (STAR) - Consequences of Global Change for Water Quality program.  $246,149.  (Knouft, PI)

 

2008 - 11  Assessing and reducing the threat of flood disasters and ecosystem destruction along the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers using satellite data, flow measurements and climate models.  Kemper-Stupp Foundation, $250,000.  (T. Kusky (PI), W. Dannevik, A. Ghulam, J. Knouft, Z. Pan (Co-PIs))

 

  

Saint Louis University

Department of biology

kNOUFT Lab