Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

PC03 Undergraduate Education

Date: Tuesday, February 13, 2001

Location: Southwest Hall

Dean, D, A, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, USA, davi_dean@hotmail.com

Saros, J, E, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, La Crosse, USA, Saros.jasm@uwlax.edu

Interlandi, S, J, Drexel University, Philadelphia, USA, inters@drexel.edu

DEVELOPING A DIATOM CALIBRATION SET TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF ENHANCED ATMOSPHERIC NITROGEN DEPOSTION ON ALPINE LAKES IN THE BEARTOOTH MOUNTAINS (MT/WY)

The Beartooth Mountains lie to the northeast of Yellowstone National Park, along the borders of Montana and Wyoming. Lakes in this region are situated in areas with little anthropogenic development or disturbance on their watersheds. The diatom profiles from the sediments of two lakes in the area reveal rapid shifts in diatom community structure over the past decade when compared to assemblages from the previous 400 years. These shifts may be linked to enhanced atmospheric nitrogen deposition. To explore the factors that are driving the observed shifts in diatom assemblages in the Beartooth Mountains, we are developing a diatom calibration set for the area. A suite of physical and chemical parameters was measured in 15 lakes in the area. The modern diatom community structure was determined for these lakes through the examination of surface sediment samples. Canonical correspondence analysis was used to infer correlations between diatom distributions and the physical/chemical factors. Our results suggest that the recent changes in the diatom community structure may be linked to nitrogen enrichment.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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