Joe Giersch

Expertise:

• Taxonomy and systematics of Rhyacophila (Trichoptera: Rhyacophilidae)
• Aquatic macroinvertebrate taxonomy
• Functional morphology of invertebrates

Research interests:
Joe Giersch is an aquatic entomologist for the Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center of the U.S. Geological Survey. He is stationed at Glacier National Park, Montana. Joe’s research interests have focused on the taxonomy, systematics, ecology and biogeography of alpine aquatic insects, and stem from an interest in invertebrate morphology and field biology. This work has resulted in the association and description of unknown life stages of rarely studied alpine caddisflies, as well as investigations into the factors contributing to the isolation and speciation of rare macroinvertebrates in alpine stream and spring habitats.

Current Research:

• Rare, Cold-water Aquatic Macroinvertebrates in Glacier National Park: Vulnerability, Resilience, Persistence and Sustainability.

Publications:
Muhlfeld, Clint C., B. Marotz, and J. Joseph Giersch. 2012. Seasonal movements of introduced lake trout within a connected lake and river system. Fisheries Management and Ecology. (19)224–232. DOI: 10.1111/j1365-2400-2011-00821

Muhlfeld, Clint C, J. Joseph Giersch, F. Richard Hauer, Gregory T. Pederson, Gordon Luikart, Douglas P. Peterson, Christopher C. Downs, and Daniel B. Fagre. 2011. Climate change links fate of glaciers and an endemic alpine invertebrate. Climatic Change Letters. DOI 10.1007/s10584-011-0057-1

Philips, T. K., M. A. Ivie, and J. J. Giersch. 2002. Jacobsoniidae. pages 219-220 in American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

CoBabe, E. A., K. R. Chamberlain, M. A. Ivie, and J. J. Giersch. 2002. A New Insect and Plant Lagerstätten from a Tertiary Lake Deposit along the Canyon Ferry Reservoir, SW Montana. Rocky Mountain Geology, 37(1): 13-30.

Hauer, F. R., J. A. Stanford, J. J. Giersch, and W. H. Lowe. 2000. Distribution and abundance patterns of macroinvertebrates in a mountain stream: An analysis along multiple environmental gradients. Verh. Internat. Verein. Limnol. 27:1485-1488.