Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Animal Sciences

Invasive species

Western Kentucky University

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

Changes In The Zooplankton Community In Barren River Lake (South Central Ky) Between 2008 And 2020, Laurel Philpott Jan 2022

Changes In The Zooplankton Community In Barren River Lake (South Central Ky) Between 2008 And 2020, Laurel Philpott

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Zooplankton are small aquatic animals that serve an important role in transferring energy from phytoplankton to higher trophic levels. The zooplankton community composition in Barren River Lake from 2008 and 2020 was compared. A field study was conducted to not only describe the seasonal population dynamics of zooplankton in Barren River Lake, but also to determine if an invasive zooplankton, Daphnia lumholtzi, was present. While D. lumholtzi was found throughout Barren River Lake in 2008, it was absent from both resampled sites in 2019 and 2020. This, along with erratic patterns of emergence in several other zooplankton species, indicates …