Amy Braccia, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Biology
205B Colton Hall
330.569.5315
bracciaa@hiram.edu
Education
Virginia Tech (Biology), B.S.
University of Georgia (Entomology), M.S.
Virginia Tech (Entomology), Ph.D.
Courses Taught
Invertebrate zoology
Ecology
Freshwater biomonitoring
Insects & society
Research Interests
The ecology and natural history of aquatic invertebrates are the focal point of my research interests. My research projects link changes in aquatic invertebrate assemblages to alterations in freshwater environments, specifically streams and rivers, brought about by human activity. My field studies are designed to quantify environmental variables and relate them to aquatic invertebrate assemblages. For example, I recently determined that sediment was the most important environmental factor structuring aquatic invertebrate assemblages in small, Blue Ridge streams that were impacted by cattle grazing. Beginning spring 2007, I will start monitoring aquatic invertebrate communities in relation to stream restoration efforts in Northeast Ohio.
Selected Publications
- Braccia, A., J.R. Voshell, Jr., and V.D. Christman. 2007. The Odonata of newly constructed ponds with life history and production of dominant species. Aquatic Insects 29(2):115-130.
- Braccia, A. and J.R. Voshell, Jr. 2007. Benthic macroinvertebrate responses to increasing levels of cattle grazing in Blue Ridge mountain streams, Virginia, USA. Environmental Monitoring & Assessment 131:185-200.
- Braccia, A. and J.R. Voshell, Jr. Environmental factors accounting for benthic macroinvertebrate assemblage structure at the sample scale in streams subjected to a gradient of cattle grazing. Hydrobiologia 573:55-73.
- Braccia, A. and J.R. Voshell, Jr. 2006. Benthic macroinvertebrate fauna in small streams used by cattle in the Blue Ridge mountains, Virginia. Northeastern Naturalist 13(2):269-286.
- Braccia, A. and D.P. Batzer. 2001. Invertebrates associated with woody debris in a southeastern floodplain forest, USA. Wetlands 21:18-31.
- Batzer D.P., B.M. George, and A. Braccia. 2005. Aquatic invertebrate community response to timber harvest in a bottomland hardwood wetland of South Carolina. Forest Science 51(4):284-291.
- Benham, B.L., A. Braccia, S. Mostaghimi, J.B. Lowery, and P.W. McClellan. 2007. Comparison of best management practice adoption between Virginia’s Chesapeake Bay Basin and Southern Rivers watersheds. Journal of Extension (April 2007).