Dissertation Research: The Effects of Cyanobacterial Blooms on Aquatic Communities and Ecosystem Functioning

人类活动对生物地球化学循环的改变改变了全球生态系统的生态相互作用。在水生生态系统中，营养物污染加剧了富营养化，造成了低营养物（贫营养化）湖泊和高营养物（富营养化）湖泊之间的生物、化学和物理差异。同时，浮游蓝藻在这两种类型的湖泊中大量繁殖，可能对其中的生态动态产生重大影响。本研究的目的是确定蓝藻华对水生群落和生态系统的影响，以及营养污染如何介导蓝藻华对湖泊过程的影响。实地试验将与全球湖泊生态观测站网络的长期数据分析相结合，以实现这些目标。随着蓝藻爆发的频率和地理范围的增加，了解它们的生态影响对于确定适当的湖泊管理策略越来越重要。这项研究的结果将为新英格兰的湖泊管理实践提供信息，并将通过与新罕布什尔州的一个非营利性湖泊协会合作，向公民科学家和学童传播。由此产生的全球湖泊分析将有助于高中学生的湖泊学课程和本科课程的实验室模块。

The alteration of biogeochemical cycles by anthropogenic activity has modified ecological interactions in ecosystems across the globe. In aquatic ecosystems, nutrient pollution has increased eutrophication, creating biological, chemical, and physical differences between low-nutrient (oligotrophic) and high-nutrient (eutrophic) lakes. Simultaneously, blooms of planktonic cyanobacteria are increasing in both types of lakes, with the potential to have substantial effects on ecological dynamics in them. The goal of this research is to determine the effects of cyanobacterial blooms on aquatic communities and ecosystems, and how nutrient pollution mediates the effect of cyanobacterial blooms on lake processes. Field experiments will be combined with an analysis of long-term data from the Global Lake Ecological Observatory Network to address these goals.As cyanobacterial blooms increase in frequency and geographical range, understanding their ecological effects is increasingly critical for defining appropriate lake management strategies. Results from this research will inform lake management practices in New England, and will be disseminated to citizen scientists and schoolchildren via collaboration with a non-profit lake association in New Hampshire. The resulting global lake analyses will contribute to a limnology course for high school students and to laboratory modules for undergraduate courses.