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Home > Research by Programs > Ecological Prediction > EP Projects List
Complete Listing of Ecological Prediction Projects
Assessments of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Communities in the Great
Lakes Region The objective of this project is to study patterns
in benthic communities, including population changes in Diporeia
in Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. A benthos camera system and side-scan
sonar were used to estimate areal coverage of mussels in off-shore areas
of Lake Michigan.
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Changes in the Pelagic Food Web of Southern Lake Michigan: A
Food Web Under Stress from Non-indigenous Species? In Southern
Lake Michigan, there has been a decline in the commercially valuable inshore
fisheries for perch and a decline in a number of forage fishes important
for salmon and lake trout. This project examines whether invasive species
are the cause of these declines, studying events such as the disappearance
of Diporeia, increases in nearshore benthic algae, alewives washing
up on beaches, and taste and odor problems at municipal water intakes.
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Genetic and environmental factors influencing Microcystis
bloom toxicity The toxicity of blooms of the cyanobacteria Microcystis
is related to both environmental factors (such as light, nutrients, grazing)
and the proportion of toxic vs. nontoxic strains present. This project
seeks to identify and quantify the toxic Microcystis strains present
in western Lake Erie using molecular-based methods.
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GLERL ECOHAB This project is aimed at studying harmful
algal blooms in the Great Lakes, especially the Microcystis blooms. The
relationship between these harmful algal blooms and aquatic invasive species
is also being looked at in this study. The 2004 proposal is to have 1-2
week cruises on Lakes Huron and Erie to study the Microcystis bloom.
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Habitat-Mediated Predator-Prey Interactions in the Eastern Gulf
of Mexico This research project seeks to identify, test, and
balance the bioenergetic processes that cause differences in growth and
condition of gag grouper as a function of reef habitat characteristics.
We use hydroacoustics to quantify pelagic prey fish at replicate patch
reefs, visual censusing to quantify gag grouper densities, and quantify
food consumption of gag.
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Hypoxia Effects on the Living Resources of the Northern Gulf of Mexico Project To provide the ecological understanding needed to forecast the effects of hypoxia on pelagic food webs. Specifically, we seek to develop conceptual and quantitative models that will be incorporated into larger ecosystem forecasting efforts.
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Implications of Cercopagis and Bythotrephes
to Alewife Recruitment and Stability of the Lake Michigan Pelagic Food
Web The proposal of this project is to develop a general model
from experimental observations of prey selection and feeding for the invading
predatory cercopagid cladocerans Cercopagis pengoi and Bythotrephes
longimanus that will be useful for predicting predatory impact of
these cercopagids. The information will be combined with field observations
of population dynamics, production and spatial distribution of zooplankton
and fishes collected in this and related projects to describe and understand
invasion dynamics of Cercopagis and determine if these cercopagids
have disrupted the Lake Michigan food web.
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Long Term Trends in Benthic Populations in Lake Michigan
This is a long term monitoring project that documents changes in the benthic
macroinvertebrate community in the southern basin of Lake Michigan. The
decline in the amphipod Diporeia is a unique event that was discovered
in this project.
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Pelagic-Benthic Coupling in Nearshore Lake Michigan: Linking
Pelagic Inputs to Benthic Productivity This project studies the
causes of the drastic decline of Diporeia in Lake Michigan. Samples
of the animal are collected and analyzed for chlorophyll, carbon, and
biogenic silica, among other variables.
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