Dissertation Research: Interactions in a Stage-Structured Species: Resource Mediated Stage Dynamics

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9520840 Mittelbach Ecologists have long understood the importance of resource use in defining species interactions and the population and community level consequences of these interactions. In stage-structured species, different stages may utilize resources which themselves interact, thereby influencing dynamics between the stages. This dissertation research will examine such a situation by studying the dynamics of larval and adult bluegill in relation to their resources, small and large zooplankton. These two resources are often negatively correlated in lakes, possibly due to competition, predation, or the presence of a refuge from predation. The zooplankton size-structure of a lake may affect the growth and survival of each bluegill stage because growth of adult bluegill is positively related to the abundance of large zooplankton, while larval bluegill are gape-limited foragers. Comparative and experimental studies will be conducted to test predictions of stage-specific growth and survival of bluegill as mediated by resource interactions. This research seeks to improve upon our mechanistic understanding of the processes that regulate stage-structured populations, thereby helping to clarify the contribution that these species make to community structure and function.