Food Web Effects of Lake Shoreline Development
Project ID: J9W88050023
Federal Agency: National Park Service
Partner Institution: University of Idaho
Fiscal Year: 2005
Initial Funding: $15,000
Total Funding: $17,000
Project Type: Research
Project Disciplines: Biological
National Park: Olympic National Park
Principal Investigator: Hampton, Stephanie
Agreement Technical Representative: Fradkin, Steven
Abstract: Development of lake shorelines is known to degrade water quality and habitat for aquatic organisms. Work under this Task Agreement is part of a larger collaborative project between the National Park Service and the University of Idaho to examine near-shore productivity and habitat differences between developed and undeveloped sites at Lake Crescent, Olympic National Park. Lake Crescent has modest residential development, yet nuisance filamentous algal mats are now regularly observed at developed sites. Beardslee trout,an endemic salmonid that uses a restricted breeding area in near-shore waters near the highest density of residential development, appears to avoid breeding sites in areas with lush nuisance algal growth. Effects of shoreline development may also impact other Lake Crescent fishes and other organisms through near-shore trophic linkages.
In the broader project, a University of Idaho graduate student under the joint direction of the Principal Investigator and the Government Technical Representative will assess the impact of development on the lake food-web by 1) determining the source of nutrients at near-shore developed and undeveloped sites, and 2) determining the role of near-shore productivity on the whole lake food web. Work specifically under this Task Agreement will encompass development of a work plan for the broader project, development of a sampling plan, compilation of a comprehensive literature summary, and preliminary sampling and analysis to produce a protocol for use in the broader project. This project uses Olympic National Park as a scientific laboratory and fosters an educational and research partnership with faculty and graduate students at University of Idaho
Deliverables:
- EFFECTS OF SHORELINE DEVELOPMENT ON THE NEARSHORE ENVIRONMENT OF A LARGE DEEP NUTRIENT-POOR LAKE (LAKE CRESCENT, USA (Thesis Masters)
- Disproportionate importance of nearshore habitat for the food web of a deep oligotrophic lake (Journal Article)
- Effects of shoreline development on the nearshore environment in large deep oligotrophic lakes (Journal Article)