Presentation Title
Comparing Zooplankton Diversity Across a Gradient of Lake Size and Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Western Lakes Region of Maine
Document Type
Poster Session
Department
Environmental Science and Policy
Faculty Mentor
Karen Wilson, PhD
Abstract
Recovery from anthropogenic acidification of lakes across the Northeast is associated with an increase in the brown coloring of lakes (“lake browning”), impacting both light attenuation into the water column and all the species that live within the lake. This study aimed to assess the impacts of lake browning on zooplankton biodiversity and abundance in the Western Lakes Region of Maine. We compared zooplankton abundance and diversity from six lakes across a gradient of lake size (10.1 ha to 125.9 ha) and total organic carbon (TOC) (3.7mg/L to 30 mg/L). Results for our small sample size suggest that lake size and TOC are not the primary drivers of zooplankton diversity. Although we did not find a relationship to lake TOC in this data set, this project provides baseline zooplankton data for the Western Lakes Region of Maine as lakes continue to change over the coming years.
Open Access?
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Comparing Zooplankton Diversity Across a Gradient of Lake Size and Dissolved Organic Carbon in the Western Lakes Region of Maine
Recovery from anthropogenic acidification of lakes across the Northeast is associated with an increase in the brown coloring of lakes (“lake browning”), impacting both light attenuation into the water column and all the species that live within the lake. This study aimed to assess the impacts of lake browning on zooplankton biodiversity and abundance in the Western Lakes Region of Maine. We compared zooplankton abundance and diversity from six lakes across a gradient of lake size (10.1 ha to 125.9 ha) and total organic carbon (TOC) (3.7mg/L to 30 mg/L). Results for our small sample size suggest that lake size and TOC are not the primary drivers of zooplankton diversity. Although we did not find a relationship to lake TOC in this data set, this project provides baseline zooplankton data for the Western Lakes Region of Maine as lakes continue to change over the coming years.
