Community Size Spectra and its Applications towards Analyzing Characteristics of Six Michigan, Inland Freshwater Lakes
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Authors
Woelke, Bradford J.
Issue Date
2013
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
Size based analysis is often employed in an attempt to understand the relationship
between fishes and their environment, largely because size plays such a vital role in the
interactions of different species of fish through predation and competition. One method
commonly used in size based analysis is size spectra analysis, which utilizes total
abundance and fish length, to create a single graphical representation of a given lake. The
goal of this study was to investigate how different general lake characteristics affect these
community size spectra of six Michigan, inland freshwater lakes. Fish were collected by
use of a Kann electrofishing boat. All fish were weighed to the nearest gram and
measured to the nearest mm, after which they were released. The results of this study
indicate that lake area is negatively correlated with community size spectra elevation,
which is indicative of ecosystem carrying capacity. This result is surprising, as it is
unexpected expected that larger lake area correlates to a higher carrying capacity.
Another significant finding was that community size spectra slope, an indicator of
ecological efficiency, was negatively correlated to species richness. Further studies,
encompassing a broader range of lake types, and an increase in sample size are
recommended in order to either strengthen these findings.
Description
v, 29 p.
Citation
Publisher
Kalamazoo College
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder.