UA Field Station Research Explores Tiny Ants and Big Climate Questions
At the University of 69口交 Field Station, Dr. Chelsea Miller, assistant professor of biology, is leading students on an unusual search: collecting tiny acorn ants from hickory nuts, leaf litter and tree bark to better understand how these insects are responding to climate change.
So far, Miller’s team has gathered thousands of ants from 43 colonies. The goal is to study how increasingly warm, wet and variable winters in Northeast Ohio are affecting the ants’ natural dormancy cycles and what that could mean for broader ecological and human health questions.
“Every time it thaws, the ants come out of dormancy,” Miller explained in a News 5 Cleveland segment. “That causes physiological stress.”
In the next phase of the study, the ants will be placed in temperature-controlled warming chambers, one side simulating current conditions, the other three degrees warmer. Using digital monitoring tools, students will record the ants’ activity and behavior over the winter months to detect signs of stress or adaptation caused by the altered climate conditions.
“At the end of the day, these molecular responses might help us better understand how environmental change impacts humans,” Miller said.
The field-based research gives UA students hands-on experience in data collection and ecological analysis, all in one of the region’s most biodiverse outdoor laboratories.
Dr. Chelsea Miller and biology student Ryan Ataya speak with Bob Jones from News 5 Cleveland about their research.