As an undergrad at the University of Benin in Nigeria, Justin Jimawo studied tropical zooplankton, the tiny organisms that live near the surface of streams and ponds.  

“That was what piqued my interest in freshwater hydrology and studying rivers and streams. I want to understand the processes that happen in them and how humans affect or alter those processes,” Jimawo said. 

That interest led him to the Odum School of Ecology, where he is working on a master’s degree with a Spencer Fellowship from the River Basin Center. The Spencer Fellowship, named for John Kyle Spencer, supports selected students with a passion for freshwater conservation who plan to pursue a career in management and conservation of freshwater ecosystems (including rivers, streams and wetlands).

Through associate professor Krista Capps’ lab, Jimawo is studying Eastern grass shrimp – a small, transparent creature that is found in streams and lakes along a swath of Southeastern states.  

“I basically want to better understand the role it plays in the carbon cycle and how it affects the whole ecosystem in general” he said.  

Jimawo is studying the food web ecology of the shrimp or, simply put, what the shrimp eat, how much they eat and how what they eat impacts the overall health of the environment where they live.  

Eastern grass shrimp  can be plentiful in water with lots of vegetation and few predators, but not much is known about them. 

“There’s very limited work that’s been done in this area,” said Capps, “But we are interested to see if they are contributing to the processing of leaf litter, whether they’re shredding and consuming leaves and other material that fall into streams. We’re not really sure how these shrimp fit into the food web.” 

So far, Jimawo is growing the shrimp in lab aquaria to measure how much they eat.  

“We have some tanks where we feed them different types of leaves that were soaked in water for three weeks to allow them to start decomposing and also to allow bacteria to act on them,” he said. As moisture encourages bacteria and fungi to grow, the leaves become more palatable to the shrimp. By trying different mixtures of food in different tanks, Jimawo can begin to see whether the shrimp get all the nutrition they need from decomposing leaves.  

Jimawo was inspired by the work of Alan Covich, a professor emeritus at Odum and member of his committee, and appreciated hearing him describe the potential of the research in a story film by National Geographic.  

Capps’ students often focus on both community and ecosystem ecology, studying how a particular organism fits into its community and how it’s contributing to the ecosystem. 

“Justin is really motivated and excited to study freshwater systems,” Capps said. “And it’s pretty interesting that people haven’t studied these shrimp more. They’re common in the Savannah River drainage from what we can figure. I’m excited that we’re going to learn some natural history about animals that live close to home.” 

 Jimawo grew up the oldest of four siblings. His mother is an agricultural engineer for the Nigerian ministry of water resources, where she works on projects like dams and irrigation schemes. His father is a businessman in the agriculture sector.  

One day, Jimawo says he might combine their interests: in addition to research, he wonders whether aquaculture might be part of his long-term plan. Aquaculture is increasingly important in Northern Africa for food security, economic development, and jobs. 

Jimawo has a bachelor’s degree in Animal and Environmental Biology from the University of Benin and served as a student intern with Nigeria’s National Biotechnology Development Agency, as a graduate trainee at the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency, and as the social media manager for Small Mammal Conservation Organization SMACON.