USING LONG-TERM STATEWIDE MONITORING DATA TO EXPLORE THE EFFECTS OF LANDSCAPE AND PHYSIOCHEMICAL DRIVERS ON PHYTOPLANKTON COMMUNITY COMPOSITION AND DIVERSITY

Phytoplankton are widely regarded as indicator organisms within aquatic ecology and are commonly used as an ecological tool in assessing water quality and indicating ecosystem health. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of landscape and physiochemical drivers on variation in phytoplankton community composition and diversity in lakes across the state of Oklahoma. We hypothesized that variation in phytoplankton communities is primarily driven by both landscape and physiochemical variables, specifically precipitation, longitude, nitrogen, and phosphorus. To test this hypothesis, we acquired 438 surface water samples collected during a three-year period from 109 lakes in Oklahoma through a statewide water quality monitoring program. All phytoplankton samples were counted using compound light microscopy and identified to genus level. Community data analyses were performed to assess spatial variation in community composition and whether the variation can be explained by the physiochemical and landscape variables. We found significant relationships between phytoplankton diversity and developed land, chlorophyll-a, conductivity, DO, pH, temperature, and turbidity. Overall, the analysis identified one landscape variable and six physiochemical variables as significant drivers suggesting that physiochemical variables are more predictive of variation in community composition than landscape variables. Our findings emphasize the continued need to focus on in-lake characteristics for maintaining water quality standards and minimizing the risk of HABs.

Primary Presenter: Jasmine Stovall, Baylor University (jasmine.stovall92@gmail.com)

Authors:

Jasmine Stovall, Baylor University  (jasmine_stovall@baylor.edu)

Felicia Osburn, University of Central Arkansas  (fosburn@uca.edu)

Caleb Robbins, University of Alaska Fairbanks  (caleb_robbins@baylor.edu)

Isabelle Andersen, Baylor University  (Isabelle_Andersen1@baylor.edu)

J. Thad Scott, Baylor University  (Thad_Scott@baylor.edu)