Presenter: Avery Larsen
Authors: Avery Larsen, Tabitha Weir
Faculty Advisor: Heath Ogden
Institution: Utah Valley University
Abstract: This research intends to expand the current understanding of the mayfly family Baetidae, also known as small minnow mayflies. Baetidae is the most diverse family of these mayflies with 110 genera and over 1000 described species. Because of this diversity, Baetids are in a unique evolutionary position in relation to other mayflies and may help shed light on important evolutionary trends within the family as well as the close relatives of the mayfly. Baetidae are of particular interest because they are large contributors to bioirrigation and bioturbation, as well as food subsidie redistribution in aquatic environments. This makes them important biomarkers of environmental fitness and important nutrient source for aquatic organisms, especially predatory fish species. The project presents a combined DNA analysis of traditional mitochondrial and ribosomal genes used in molecular phylogenetics in addition to new phylogenomic data to estimate the relationships of the main lineages within the Baetidae family. This is to ultimately create an official evolutionary family tree and aid in future ecological research. This phylogenetic relationship uses both sanger sequencing methods of the five main genes as well as anchored hybrid transcriptomics.