 This is Virginia. She's a research student at the University of New Mexico. She's studying submerged aquatic macrophytes, which are plants that live completely underwater. Her focus is on the East Fork Hamas River. In order to understand the impacts these macrophytes have on the Hamas River ecosystem, Virginia measures their biomass. Biomass is the mass of living organisms in an ecosystem at a given time. No, no, no, not like that. First, we collect samples from the same place multiple times throughout the season. After bringing samples to a lab, they are weighed and burned in a special machine at 500 degrees centigrade. That's three times hotter than when you bake cookies. Another measurement gives us the dry weight and is the total mass of living matter. So what about fire, you ask? Well, most aquatic macrophytes can survive a fire, but seasonal rainfall after a fire can be disastrous. Flash floods can wash fire debris away and rip many plants with it. But really, why should we care if the plants die? Well, if we lose these plants, we lose the benefits they give to the ecosystem. Fish that depend on the plants for food become vulnerable to predators and starvation. As a result, animals that eat the fish and animals that eat those animals also become vulnerable. The waters of the Hamas River and the Rio Grande depend on the plants to naturally filter the water. If the plants die, there may be a sharp increase in blue-green algae, some of which make toxins harmful to animals and humans. Rising temps due to climate change can cause a change in morphology or how the plants grow and what they look like. By studying these macrophytes when they are healthy, we may better understand how to react to changes and plan to address our needs and the needs of future generations.