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Tuesday, May 27, 2008
286
Life under the ice: Assessing winter macroinvertebrate communities in prairie pothole lakes in west-central Minnesota
Tracey M. Anderson, Andrew P. Windschitl, and Melissa Rynerson. Division of Science and Math, University of Minnesota, Morris, 600 East 4th St., Morris, MN 56267
Macroinvertebrates in temperate lakes are rarely sampled during the winter when ice may cover aquatic habitats for several months. We explored the practicality of sampling the benthic macroinvertebrate community that lives under the ice in prairie pothole lakes. We also evaluated the sampling effort required to adequately characterize this benthic community. We collected 15 Eckman grab samples from Page Lake, a highly eutrophic lake in west-central Minnesota. Chironomidae occurred in all 15 samples and contained six of the twelve taxa we collected. Ceratopogonidae (Diptera), Hydrachnida and oligochaetes were also common. Average taxon richness ranged from 5.3 – 6.0, depending on the number of samples analyzed (N = 3 – 15). Cumulative taxon richness did not increase after the analysis of 10 samples. Average density ranged from 2300-3435 organisms/m2 per sample (N = 3 - 15). Examination of the 95% confidence levels and standard error suggest that density estimates did not differ significantly with increasing sample size. Based on our initial results, 10 benthic samples appear to be adequate in order to confidently characterize the macroinvertebrate community in these lakes. This protocol could be used to evaluate the response of benthic macroinvertebrates to changing land use and management practices in the prairie pothole region.
Web Page: winter ecology, prairie pothole, lentic macroinvertebrates
See more of Lentic Ecology Poster Session
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See more of The Nabs 56th Annual Meeting (25-28 May, 2008)
See more of Contributed Sessions
See more of The Nabs 56th Annual Meeting (25-28 May, 2008)