Phytoplankton Responses to Nutrient Availability in Freshwater Mesocosm Systems
Hendrickson, Eva
Hendrickson, Eva
Citations
Altmetric:
License
License
Abstract
Interactions between nutrient availability and phytoplankton growth play a foundational role in shaping lake ecosystem function. However, climate change has disrupted the rate and timing of nutrient delivery to lakes via extreme storm events, drought, changing ice cover, and altered mixing regimes. Increased and variable nutrient loading can stimulate changes in phytoplankton biomass, community composition, and functional diversity. To investigate the impact of changing nutrient delivery timing on phytoplankton community structure, we deployed 16 pelagic (closed-bottom) mesocosms on Lake Champlain, Vermont, USA. We tested three rates of nutrient additions (84 �g L?� NH?-N, 84 �g L?� NO?-N, and 31 �g L?� PO?�?) and a control over a 14-day period: all nutrients at once (pulse), daily additions (press) and sporadic (random pulse). The treatments were meant to simulate natural occurrences of nutrient pulses into lakes, such as run-off from mild or extreme rain events, intermittent mixing, and snow melt. Preliminary results indicate variability in phytoplankton response between treatments, with ongoing analyses examining differences in metabolic processes and carbon flux. These results provide insight into phytoplankton traits that are conserved across disturbance events and will facilitate prediction of community composition and functional diversity of phytoplankton communities with intensifying climate change.
Description
Date
1/1/2026
Student Status
Graduate Student
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Type of presentation
Poster
Collections
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Citation
DOI
Advisor(s)
Department
Program/Major
Natural Resources
College/School
Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources
Organization
Research Category
Life Science