SGER: Effects of a Major Flood on Secondary Production of Zooplankton in the Ohio River: Implications for Ecosystem Theory and River Management

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ABSTRACT 97-14944 Thorp SGER: Effects of a major flood on secondary production of zooplankton in the Ohio River: Implications for ecosystem theory and river management. In March, 1997, the Ohio River valley experienced its worst flooding since 1964 (a 100+ year flood). This research will consider the effects of this large-river flood in the context of current theoretical models that have never been empirically tested in the temperate zone. The investigators will study the influence of flood events on zooplankton productivity and the source of nutrients to the river food web. The relative contribution of nutrients from upstream reaches as opposed to the floodplain will be measured. Current management strategies for large rivers and their floodplains assume that a model developed in the tropics (the Flood Pulse Concept) is applicable to temperate rivers. This model predicts that most riverine animal biomass derives from production within the floodplain and not from downstream transport of organic matter produced elsewhere in the basin. If this model is not applicable to large temperate rivers, this research will have very broad-reaching implications.