Assessment of seasonal changes in abiotic and zooplankton communities in highly and moderately alkaline sandhills lakes

Julie J. Shaffer, Brian C. Peterson, Keith D. Koupal

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Scopus citations

Abstract

Regionally proximate waters in the Sandhills of Nebraska are known to have distinctive alkaline conditions. However, little is known about the seasonal variability that exists for abiotic conditions and zooplankton communities within these same waters. This study assessed two highly alkaline and four moderately alkaline lakes for seasonal trends in conductivity, turbidity, pH, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and nitrate, as well as zooplankton biodiversity and density. These findings indicate that each water has seasonally dynamic conditions and communities. Future reporting should identify the season of collection and expand the temporal collection to more accurately characterize these waters. Additionally, managers should not assume that proximate waters demonstrate similar seasonal variation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)109-116
Number of pages8
JournalGreat Plains Research
Volume27
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - Sep 1 2017

Keywords

  • Alkaline
  • Crescent Lake Wildlife Refuge
  • Nebraska lake
  • Saline
  • Sandhills
  • Zooplankton

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Geography, Planning and Development
  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics

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