Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 1 of 1
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Investigating Drivers Of Algal Bloom Succession In Lake Erie, Brittany Zepernick
Investigating Drivers Of Algal Bloom Succession In Lake Erie, Brittany Zepernick
Doctoral Dissertations
Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are algae undergoing prolific, unregulated growth. A well-documented HAB taxa is the cyanobacterium Microcystis spp., which induces anthropogenic, ecological, and economic consequences due to the production of toxins and biomass which results in lake hypoxia. Microcystis spp. blooms are globally distributed in freshwater systems, with climate change and the aquatic continuum serving to further exacerbate bloom distribution, duration, and frequency. Thus, there is a need to elucidate the factors driving the ecological success of Microcystis spp., and the ecological “failures” of their competitors, such as diatoms. In Lake Erie, a seasonal pattern of algal bloom succession …