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SEMINAR: Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of zooplankton communities in freshwater systems: the importance of high resolution data

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Today's date is Friday, March 29, 2024
Spatial and temporal heterogeneity of zooplankton communities in freshwater systems: the importance of high resolution data : SESE and Oceans Institute Seminar Other events...
Heterogeneity within aquatic ecosystems influences many vital ecosystem processes, and as such its investigation is fundamental to understanding ecological interactions within planktonic systems. Teasing apart the layers of heterogeneity within any environment is, however, hindered by the problem of pattern and scale, and the absence of a single natural scale (spatial or temporal) that may be applied to the study of environmental phenomena. This is particularly true within the study of freshwater zooplankton communities, having been historically restricted by the available sampling technology which has allowed only for a traditional ‘snapshot’ approach to data collection. Attempts to quantitatively measure zooplankton heterogeneity and the associated driving forces have therefore been limited by a lack of simultaneous high-resolution observations of zooplankton in combination with abiotic and biotic driver metrics. The research presented here relates to the application of new technologies to address this old problem. Specifically, a Laser Optical Plankton Counter (LOPC) is used to measure zooplankton in-situ and at high resolution, allowing a more rapid and extensive assessment of the distribution, abundance and community structure of planktonic organisms and the processes underlying their distribution. Zooplankton dynamics are examined from three separate but interconnected perspectives—firstly from a methodological perspective in which some common emerging techniques are questioned and measurement error sources explored; before the LOPC is deployed in situ in Harp Lake (Muskoka, Ontario, Canada) to allow the examination of spatial zooplankton distribution dynamics over multiple study times and with varying wind regimes; and finally by exploring long-term temporal dynamics in zooplankton community size structure within Harp Lake, in the context of biological invasion by Bythotrephes longimanus, by processing historical zooplankton samples with the LOPC in a laboratory setting.
Speaker(s) Conor Mines, PhD Thesis Defence, SESE
Location Lecture Theatre 1, G17, Mathematics Building
Contact Lorraine Dorn <[email protected]> : 3701
Start Thu, 19 Apr 2012 16:00
End Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:00
Submitted by Lorraine Dorn <[email protected]>
Last Updated Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:48
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