Top-down versus Bottom-up Regulation in Aquatic Communities: An Experimental Test of Nutrient Availability versus Herbivore Concentration Effects on Primary Productivity in the TLES Pond
Faculty Mentor
Ross Black
Presentation Type
Poster
Start Date
5-8-2024 11:15 AM
End Date
5-8-2024 1:00 PM
Location
PUB NCR
Primary Discipline of Presentation
Biology
Abstract
The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of nutrient availability and herbivore concentrations on algal primary productivity in the TLES pond. Primary productivity is a vital indicator of the health of local environments. Determining factors that drive primary productivity within an ecosystem are necessary for ecologists to develop best practices in ecosystem management. We created a complete factorial design testing two separate null hypotheses: herbivore concentrations do not affect primary production rates, and nutrient availability does not affect primary production rates. We utilized 20L cubitainers in the pond where we manipulated zooplankton concentration, nitrate, and phosphate based on ambient average levels determined from eight samples. Our experiment used nine separate treatments with eight replicates per treatment. After a 7-day incubation period in the pond, cubitainers were retrieved and we analyzed their chlorophyll concentrations using a fluorometer. We calculated primary productivity by comparing the initial and final chlorophyll readings. Significance of treatment effects were statistically determined using two-way ANOVA. Results will be presented at the symposium.
Recommended Citation
Chisholm, Brooke; Emtman, Kolby; Jung, Gabrielle; Kenny, Karly; Kolb, Kaleb; Kristensen, Tosha; Marso, Willow; Mee, Devlin; Nett, Aidan; Ogle, Grace; Saunders, Liela; Tibbetts, Ryan; and Wendt, Raigan, "Top-down versus Bottom-up Regulation in Aquatic Communities: An Experimental Test of Nutrient Availability versus Herbivore Concentration Effects on Primary Productivity in the TLES Pond" (2024). 2024 Symposium. 16.
https://dc.ewu.edu/srcw_2024/ps_2024/p2_2024/16
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Top-down versus Bottom-up Regulation in Aquatic Communities: An Experimental Test of Nutrient Availability versus Herbivore Concentration Effects on Primary Productivity in the TLES Pond
PUB NCR
The purpose of this experiment was to evaluate the effects of nutrient availability and herbivore concentrations on algal primary productivity in the TLES pond. Primary productivity is a vital indicator of the health of local environments. Determining factors that drive primary productivity within an ecosystem are necessary for ecologists to develop best practices in ecosystem management. We created a complete factorial design testing two separate null hypotheses: herbivore concentrations do not affect primary production rates, and nutrient availability does not affect primary production rates. We utilized 20L cubitainers in the pond where we manipulated zooplankton concentration, nitrate, and phosphate based on ambient average levels determined from eight samples. Our experiment used nine separate treatments with eight replicates per treatment. After a 7-day incubation period in the pond, cubitainers were retrieved and we analyzed their chlorophyll concentrations using a fluorometer. We calculated primary productivity by comparing the initial and final chlorophyll readings. Significance of treatment effects were statistically determined using two-way ANOVA. Results will be presented at the symposium.
