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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Effects Of Changing Winter Severity On Plankton Ecology In Temperate Lakes, Allison Rose Hrycik
Effects Of Changing Winter Severity On Plankton Ecology In Temperate Lakes, Allison Rose Hrycik
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Climate change has rapidly altered winter conditions in temperate regions of the globe. Over the last several decades, snowpack has decreased, spring snowmelt is earlier, and ice cover has declined. Associated changes in lake mixing, inflow, nutrient cycling, and light transmission during winter can affect lake biota both under ice and into the open-water season. Unfortunately, under-ice lake research is limited compared to open-water research. Recent winter limnology research, however, suggests that ecosystem processes do not stop under ice, and many questions remain about the drivers of phytoplankton and zooplankton dynamics in winter. My research aimed to uncover mechanisms by …
Assessing Chemical And Biological Recovery From Acid Rain Deposition In Montane Vermont Lakes, Sydney Diamond
Assessing Chemical And Biological Recovery From Acid Rain Deposition In Montane Vermont Lakes, Sydney Diamond
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
Vermont’s inland lakes are changing rapidly in response to anthropogenic disturbance pressures. While changes in water chemistry are well documented across the state, the biological response of primary producer communities to these shifts remains poorly understood. This project investigated the response of phytoplankton communities to the interacting effects of recovery from acidification and climate change in high-altitude lakes. We analyzed long-term monitoring and meteorological data in four of Vermont’s acid-impaired lakes and found that as pH and acid-neutralizing capacity has increased, so have concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in most lakes. To assess the biological response to these processes, …
Trophic Dynamics And Cyanobacteria Blooms In Shallow Eutrophic Bays Of Lake Champlain, Rebecca Michelle Gorney
Trophic Dynamics And Cyanobacteria Blooms In Shallow Eutrophic Bays Of Lake Champlain, Rebecca Michelle Gorney
Graduate College Dissertations and Theses
This study was conducted to evaluate the relative roles of trophic dynamics and nutrient concentrations in the development of cyanobacteria blooms. The motivation for this research was to gain insights into how food webs respond to ecosystem-scale changes, using Lake Champlain as a case study. I sought to link field-based observations with experimentally derived data on mechanisms to better understand the processes that drive cyanobacteria blooms. My research addressed three specific topics: (1) associations among phytoplankton and nutrient concentration trends over time, (2) the impacts of planktivory by invasive fish on the ambient zooplankton community, and (3) the role of …