Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
Major/Program
Biology
First Advisor's Name
Evelyn Gaiser
First Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Chair
Second Advisor's Name
John Kominoski
Second Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Third Advisor's Name
Rudolf Jaffe
Third Advisor's Committee Title
Committee Member
Keywords
phytoplankton, dissolved organic carbon, succession, subtropical, monomictic, Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation, Pacific Decadal Oscillation
Date of Defense
11-9-2020
Abstract
Seasonal phytoplankton dynamics in lakes are highly sensitive physicochemical changes in the water column. As climate-driven frequency and variability of precipitation increases, lakes may experience increased inputs of allochthonous organic matter and nutrients through pulsed rain events. The resultant effects of lake physicochemistry on phytoplankton seasonal succession and assemblage are poorly understood. In the current study, the phytoplankton assemblage of a subtropical monomictic lake was examined in the context of natural interannual oscillations in allochthonous dissolved organic carbon and nutrient inputs resulting in prolonged clear-water and dark-water phases over a 14-year period. Differences in water clarity and nutrient concentrations among phases caused pronounced assemblage and morphology-based functional grouping shifts largely associated with hydrologic effects of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Determining how phytoplankton assemblages respond to changes in allochthonous supplies is critical to understanding and predicting the cascading effects of climate on lake ecosystems at all latitudes.
Identifier
FIDC009542
ORCID
0000-0003-1139-1222
Recommended Citation
Sullivan, Kristy Lee, "Long-Term and Seasonal Drivers of Phytoplankton Assembly in a Subtropical Monomictic Lake" (2020). FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 4541.
https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/etd/4541
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