Christopher A. Klausmeier Georgia Tech Research Corporation - GA Institute of Technology
Plankton are the microscopic plants and animals that form the base of most aquatic food webs. Seasonal changes in weather have major effects on plankton communities. In temperate lakes, organisms grow during the warmer months, then die off or form resting stages in winter. This environmental variation leads to a regular succession of species over the growing season, called seasonal succession. Although seasonal succession has long fascinated plankton ecologists, there have been few attempts to model this process mathematically. This project will investigate seasonal succession with a combination of mathematical modeling, laboratory experiments, and analysis of long-term data from a range of Swiss lakes. Although the focus is on plankton communities, this research will illuminate other ecological systems that are influenced by a fluctuating environment.
Twenty-first century biology is becoming increasingly quantitative. This project will improve the teaching of theoretical ecology and provide research opportunities in quantitative ecology for graduate and undergraduate students. It will allow collaboration between empirical and theoretical ecologists and mathematicians, strengthening interdisciplinary links at Georgia Tech, and involve undergraduate students with a special focus on recruiting from local historically black institutions. Freshwater ecosystems are essential to human well-being and are heavily impacted by human activities. This project will provide fundamental insights into their dynamics, which will allow better management of lake ecosystems.
