About ABL
The Aquatic Biomonitoring Laboratory (ABL) was established in 1985 under the leadership of Stanley W. Szczytko, Ph.D., who served as its director until his retirement in 2012. Since its founding, ABL has provided high-quality benthic macroinvertebrate sample processing, aquatic bioassessment services, and ecological monitoring support for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and numerous regional resource management agencies.
Today, ABL continues its mission of advancing aquatic ecosystem science through biological monitoring, research, education, and professional training.
Our Mission
The Aquatic Biomonitoring Laboratory is dedicated to:
- Providing reliable aquatic bioassessment and biological monitoring services.
- Assessing the ecological condition and health of streams, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
- Training undergraduate and graduate students in biomonitoring and aquatic ecology techniques.
- Supporting environmental agencies, researchers, and resource managers with expert aquatic ecosystem assessments.
- Delivering outreach, extension services, and continuing education focused on aquatic macroinvertebrates and freshwater ecosystems.
Research and Expertise
For nearly four decades, ABL has contributed to the understanding and management of freshwater ecosystems throughout Wisconsin and the Upper Midwest. Laboratory staff and students have conducted research on:
- Stream habitat quality and aquatic ecosystem health
- Effects of impoundments and seasonal variation on bioassessment results
- Relationships between stream order, riparian conditions, and ecological integrity
- Aquatic macroinvertebrate life history studies
- Interactions between invasive species and native aquatic communities
- Limnological and freshwater ecosystem investigations
- Documentation of aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa newly recorded in Wisconsin
- Development and refinement of biological assessment and macroinvertebrate monitoring methods
These efforts help improve water quality assessment, environmental management, and conservation decision-making.
Meet the Staff
The daily operations of ABL are supervised by Jeff Dimick, whose more than 40 years of experience working with aquatic macroinvertebrates provides invaluable expertise in freshwater ecology and biomonitoring.
Jeff Dimick
- Aquatic Biomonitoring Laboratory Manager