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SFS Annual Meeting

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EXPERIMENTALLY TESTING THE QUALITY OF GOLF COURSE LENTIC ECOSYSTEMS: A MESOCOSM APPROACH

Managed ecosystems, such as golf courses, can harbor biodiversity, however little is known about the types of habitat courses are providing for native organisms. Turfgrass management on golf courses is essential to create an adequate playing area, but this management often involves the use of chemicals that enter surface waters, affecting water quality and native organisms. The objective of this experiment was to use mesocosms to examine the impact on water quality and algae of several chemicals that enter golf course lentic ecosystems: the fungicide, Azoxystrobin, and Nitrogen and Phosphorus. We used data from field surveys to replicate two concentrations of Azoxystrobin, nitrogen, phosphorus, and N+P and examined water quality variables and algal concentrations from May to August 2018. We found these chemical inputs did not have a measurable influence on several water quality variables or concentrations of algae (measured by chlorophyll a and phycocyanin). These data suggest chemical inputs into these systems may not hinder the quality of habitat that golf course lentic systems are providing, and data similar to this could lead to a greater understanding of the contributions these courses provide to biodiversity in urban areas.

Courtney Carmack (Primary Presenter/Author), Loyola University Chicago, ccarmack@luc.edu;


Michael Vosburgh (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Loyola University Chicago, mvosburgh@luc.edu;


Isabella Lentini (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Loyola University Chicago, ilentini@luc.edu;


Joseph Milanovich (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Loyola University Chicago, jmilanovich@luc.edu;


Martin Berg (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Loyola University Chicago, mberg@luc.edu;