Poster Details
SPATIOTEMPORAL VARIATION IN ZOOPLANKTON COMMUNITY COMPOSITION AND EXPORT FROM A POLYMICTIC RESERVOIR
Shallow polymictic reservoirs experience frequent disruptive mixing from both wind and hydrological events that may interrupt or otherwise alter the normal seasonal patterns of bloom-bust in the plankton. In the study presented here, we monitored epilimnetic zooplankton diversity in a polymictic reservoir on a weekly basis near Zmax and at the base of the reservoir outfall over the course of the summer and fall of 2017. We also monitored these two sites over the course of a 24 hour period on three different days over the summer. Preliminary results indicate that the reservoir and outfall communities follow similar successional trajectories over the course of the summer, but diel variation in community composition was dissimilar between the lake and outfall sites at all three time periods. Differences between the lake and outfall community composition did not vary significantly between months, but there was a significant diel effect across all three sampling periods combined. Across all three time periods combined, zooplankton community composition was more similar at night than during twilight hours.
Caitlyn Czajkowski (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Rowan University, czajkowsc2@rowan.students.edu;
O'Neil Chase (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Rowan University, chaset31@students.rowan.edu;
Michael Grove (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Rowan University, Grove@rowan.edu;
Courtney Richmond (Co-Presenter/Co-Author), Rowan University, Richmond@rowan.edu;
Nathan Ruhl (Primary Presenter/Author), Rowan University, Ruhl@rowan.edu;