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Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Developing A Long-Term Perspective On The Sensitivity Of Lake Trophic State Changes In Maine, Simona Lukasik Aug 2020

Developing A Long-Term Perspective On The Sensitivity Of Lake Trophic State Changes In Maine, Simona Lukasik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Even with similar external drivers, lakes can respond differently because of key ecosystem features that determine lake sensitivity. Identifying factors that determine lake sensitivity are important for successful lake management. The purpose of this research was to determine patterns of algal community change over the past 400 years in lakes with watersheds that vary in surficial geology, specifically the glacio-marine clay layer in Maine known as the Presumpscot formation. Responses to two external drivers, major land use changes and climate change, were assessed. Four lakes were chosen based on their surficial geology and land use history: Unity Pond, Webber Pond, …


Diatom Voucher Flora And Comparison Of Collection Methods For Biodiversity Hotspot Upper Three Runs Creek, Katie M. Johnson Mar 2020

Diatom Voucher Flora And Comparison Of Collection Methods For Biodiversity Hotspot Upper Three Runs Creek, Katie M. Johnson

Biology Theses

Surface freshwater is a scarce resource. Due to the scarcity and necessity of this resource, it is imperative that its quality is routinely monitored. One way of monitoring water quality is through biological assessments, which include examining algal assemblages. Regionally, little remains known of algal taxa in the southeastern United States. In the past, the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (ANSP) conducted biological assessments along the Savannah River finding Gomphonema parvulum (Kützing) Kützing 1849 to be a dominant taxon rendering assessments inconclusive. Recent studies have provided evidence that species complexes and semi-cryptic taxa have been identified within the Gomphonema …


Assessing The Hierarchy Of Long-Term Environmental Controls On Diatom Communities Of Yellowstone National Park Using Lacustrine Sediment Records, Victoria Chraibi, Sherilyn C. Fritz Jan 2020

Assessing The Hierarchy Of Long-Term Environmental Controls On Diatom Communities Of Yellowstone National Park Using Lacustrine Sediment Records, Victoria Chraibi, Sherilyn C. Fritz

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

An ecosystem’s ability to maintain structure and function following disturbance, defined as resilience, is influenced by a hierarchy of environmental controls, including climate, surface cover, and ecological relationships that shape biological community composition and productivity. This study examined lacustrine sediment records of naturally fishless lakes in Yellowstone National Park to reconstruct the response of aquatic communities to climate and trophic cascades from fish stocking. Sediment records of diatom algae did not exhibit a distinct response to fish stocking in terms of assemblage or algal productivity. Instead, 3 of 4 lakes underwent a shift to dominance by benthic diatom species from …