Collaborative Dissertation Research: Carbon and Nitrogen Pathways in Lake Ecosytems: The Influence of Nutrients and Food Webs on Benthic-pelagic Links

这一提议将检验湖泊食物网中底栖生物和远洋生物初级生产的相对重要性取决于湖泊营养状况并受鱼类调节的假设。以往的研究结果表明，底栖生物和远洋生物通过营养关系紧密联系在一起，形成了碳和氮流动的重要渠道。鱼类构成了底栖和远洋生物群落，是底栖和远洋生物栖息地之间有机物质和营养物质的重要载体。将使用稳定同位素方法将这项研究整合到对底栖-远洋营养联系的全面了解中。稳定同位素将用于确定远洋食物网、底栖大型无脊椎动物群落和底栖藻类之间的营养联系。

9521220 KITCHELL This proposal will test the hypothesis that the relative importance of benthic and pelagic primary production in lake food webs is dependent on lake trophic status and is regulated by fish. Previous results indicate that benthic and pelagic organisms are strongly linked through trophic relationships and form important conduits for carbon and nitrogen flow. Fish structure benthic and pelagic communities and are important vectors of organic material and nutrients between benthic and pelagic habitats. A stable isotope method will be used to integrate this research into a comprehensive understanding of benthic-pelagic trophic links. The stable isotopes will be used to determine the trophic links between pelagic food webs, benthic macroinvertebrate communities, and benthic algae.