RUI: Integrating Algal Physiological Ecology and Paleolimnology to Decipher the Effects of Atmospheric Deposition and Climate Change on Alpine Lakes

0089600。由于人类的干预，上个世纪高山湖泊中的大气氮排放量翻了一番。这些地区的降雨量增加可能加速了水生营养物质浓度的这种变化。研究了氮沉积和气候变化对科罗拉多州和蒙大拿州山地湖泊沉积硅藻群落组成的影响。人为氮和降水之间的相互作用是复杂的，它们对硅藻群落的影响可能因地区而异。该项目将使用现场实验和实地调查来检验营养物质比例(例如氮、磷)的变化改变了水生群落结构的假设。此外，这项研究将结合化石硅藻的古生物学和元素分析，重建古代群落的组成和可用的资源。这项研究对理解全球变化以及导致水生生态系统群落结构快速变化的机制具有潜在的广泛影响。

0089600. SarosBecause of human intervention, the amount of atmospheric nitrogen deposited into alpine lakes has doubled in the last century. This alteration in aquatic nutrient concentrations may have been accelerated by increased precipitation in these regions. This study investigates the effects of nitrogen deposition and climate change on the community composition of sedimentary diatoms in montane lakes of Colorado and Montana. The interactions between anthropogenic nitrogen and precipitation are complex and their effects on diatom communities probably vary regionally. This project will use in situ experiments and field surveys to test the hypothesis that changes in the ratios of nutrients (e.g., nitrogen, phosphorus) have altered the structure of aquatic communities. Furthermore, the research will integrate paleobiology of fossil diatoms and elemental analysis, to reconstruct the composition of ancient communities, and the resources available to them. This study has potentially broad implications for understanding global change, and the mechanisms causing rapid shifts in the community structure of aquatic ecosystems.