Planktonic Community Ecology: A Test of Hypotheses in a Large Temperate River

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9307225 Thorp Factors regulating biotic communities in large rivers are poorly known both because of the dearth of research on large rivers in general (4% of stream studies) and because of the lack of experimental techniques to study these ecosystems. The PI's hypothesize that riverine plankton, or potamoplankton, in the Ohio River are physically controlled during period of high river discharge and turbidity (Phase I) and relatively biologically controlled at other times of the year (Phase II). This research will examine experimentally the importance of vertebrate planktivory by emerald shiners and rotifer-copepod interactions in Phases I and II. To do so, the PI's will employ unique "potamocorrals" (in situ floating nitex enclosures) in four drift experiments in the Ohio River. During these studies, data will be collected to test the efficacy of these enclosures relative to ambient conditions. %%% Potamocorrals should prove useful for both basic and applied research, such as the effects of energy byproducts on riverine plankton. Also, this research will add much needed data on the effects of different disturbance agents on the biodiversity of large river systems. ***