# CAREER: Adapting to life with a dash of salt: Eco-evolutionary consequences of freshwater salinization

> **NSF 01002930DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT** · Bowdoin College (ME) · $792,013

## Abstract

Lakes provide important services to communities across the United States, including recreation, drinking water, and habitat for fish and wildlife. Yet many lakes are becoming saltier, mainly due to road runoff and sea level rise. While too much salt can be toxic, very low levels of salt can also stress aquatic life. In places like coastal Maine, lakes span a wide range of salinity due to natural factors and human influence. This project studies how changing salt levels affect lake food webs, focusing on Daphnia–a tiny freshwater grazer that helps keep algal blooms in check and serves as food for fish. Daphnia can evolve quickly—within just a few generations—making them a powerful model for studying how rapid adaptation to environmental change can ripple through ecosystems. Understanding how Daphnia cope with salt stress could help explain and predict changes in water clarity and fish populations. In addition to advancing scientific knowledge, this research will create hands-on research opportunities for undergraduate students, integrate local fieldwork and lab experiments into college courses, and partner with state agencies and citizen scientists to support lake stewardship.

The project investigates how ecological and evolutionary responses to salinity shape freshwater lake ecosystems. The research integrates field surveys of zooplankton and phytoplankton communities across a natural salinity gradient in coastal Maine lakes, laboratory common garden experiments quantifyin

## Key facts

- **NSF award ID:** 2441707
- **Awardee organization:** Bowdoin College (ME)
- **SAM.gov UEI:** JE5WBLZJUME7
- **PI:** Mary A Rogalski
- **Primary program:** 01002930DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
- **All programs:** CAREER-Faculty Erly Career Dev, EXP PROG TO STIM COMP RES, REU SUPP-Res Exp for Ugrd Supp
- **Estimated total:** $792,013
- **Funds obligated:** $649,543
- **Transaction type:** Continuing Grant
- **Period:** 09/01/2025 → 08/31/2030

## Primary source

NSF Award Search: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2441707

## Citation

> US National Science Foundation, Award 2441707, CAREER: Adapting to life with a dash of salt: Eco-evolutionary consequences of freshwater salinization. Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-06-07 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nsf/2441707. Licensed CC0.

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