Date of Award
2020
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biology
First Advisor
Dr. Jeffrey Johansen
Abstract
Lake George is a highly monitored, oligotrophic lake that experiences widespread tourism in the summer months. The southern basin is more developed than the northern basin, suggesting a north-south gradient of anthropogenic impairment. This study aimed to assess differences in nearshore diatom communities regarding gradients of water chemistry and watershed development throughout the lake. Using Redundancy analyses, water chemistry was found to explain more variation within diatom assemblages than watershed variables. Weighted averaging optima and tolerances specified taxa of concern, F. gracilis and A. formosa, that indicate increased phosphorus (μg/L) and conductivity (μS/cm), respectively. Two hypotheses related to the effect of climate change on phytoplankton communities are potentially affirmed with comparison to past diatom studies in the lake. Increased development and warming temperatures are predicted to cause an increase in abundance of smaller centric diatoms and benthic diatoms. Our results verify that the effects of human development and concomitant effluents can be observed in diatom communities that may be used as biological indicators or sentinels of environmental change.
Recommended Citation
Ruka, Adam T., "DIATOM COMMUNITY RESPONSES TO DEVELOPMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN LAKE GEORGE, AN OLIGOTROPHIC LAKE IN THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS" (2020). Masters Theses. 44.
https://collected.jcu.edu/masterstheses/44
Creative Commons License
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