Chappell, Jessica

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    The influence of environmental variables and an invasive freshwater bivalve on the Phytoplankton community of two tropical reservoirs
    (2012) Chappell, Jessica; Whitmire, Stefanie; College of Agricultural Sciences; Santos-Flores, Carlos; Sotomayor-Ramírez, David; Martínez-Rodríguez, Gustavo; O"Farrill-Nieves, Hipólito; Department of Crops and Agro-Environmental Sciences; Padilla, Stefanie
    Reservoirs of Puerto Rico are an important source of drinking water. The phytoplankton community is a large determinant of water quality, as some species are toxic. Thus, understanding the phytoplankton community structure is important to ensure clean reservoirs. Both field and mesocosm studies were completed using two reservoirs to identify the factors impacting the phytoplankton community structure. In the field study, reservoirs were sectioned into zones and sampling was conducted in “dry” and “wet” seasons to evaluate spatial and temporal differences in the phytoplankton and environmental parameters. Mesocosm experiments examined the direct impact of Corbicula fluminea on nutrients and the phytoplankton community. Results indicate parameters influencing the phytoplankton community structure differ depending on initial trophic status, as temperature and total phosphate played a major role in the mesotrophic system while specific conductance was the most important in the eutrophic system. Within each reservoir, a spatial gradient existed from the dam to riverine zone for several parameters, including secchi depth. However, temporal environmental patterns had the largest influence on the phytoplankton community structure. In the mesocosms, C. fluminea influenced phytoplankton dynamics but had no effect on nutrient concentrations; however, sediment was found to elevate total phosphate concentrations. Both studies show the reservoirs to be complex systems with several factors influencing their water quality.