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Prof. John C. Morse from Clemson University Visits IHB
On July 2, Prof. John C. Morse from Clemson University paid a visit to Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IHB) where he made a presentation entitled “Making a Living as underwater Architects: The Caddisflies”.
On July 2, Prof. John C. Morse from Clemson University paid a visit to Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (IHB)
Prof. Morse instructed students on the identification and classification of caddisfly.
Caddisflies (Trichoptera) are a diverse and vital biotic component of freshwater ecosystems, having been able to adapt and succeed in nearly every type of aquatic habitat. Although the greatest species diversity occurs in cool running waters, many species inhabit lakes and ponds, as well as specialized habitats such as marshes, swamps, springs, seeps, and intermittent streams. Different caddisfly species have various modes of feeding. They either act as primary consumer, i.e. scraper, shredder, collector, or as secondary consumer, i.e. predator, serving as a connecting link in the food web of aquatic ecosystem. In addition, the caddisflies are sensitive to water pollution, thus becoming an important bioindicator in monitoring water quality. Prof. Morse explained the taxonomic, biological and phylogenic relationship of caddisfly
and introduced the biological characters of each caddisfly species. After the presentation, Prof. Morse visited some labs in the institute, and instructed students on the identification and classification of caddisfly.
Prof. Morse had a field survey with IHB scholars in the Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve which is located in Jilin province.
Prof. Morse has been a well-known expert in the field of aquatic insects since 1967. He has taught courses related to aquatic insects at Clemson, at Highlands Biological Station in North Carolina, and in several countries in East Asia for more than 35 years. In the 1980s, Prof. Morse collaborated with Profs. Tian Lixin and Yang Lianfang from Nanjing Agriculture University. Their collaborated research contributes a lot to the development of caddisfly study in China.
During June 25 and 30, Prof. Morse had a field survey with IHB scholars in the Changbai Mountain National Nature Reserve which is located in Jilin province.
