Abstract

Peter Lake's food web was altered by adding largemouth bass at a slow rate while monitoring key food web constituents including littoral minnow abundance indexed as catch per trap per hour, zooplankton biomass, and concentration of chlorophyll a. Paul Lake was manipulated and the same variables were measured there.
In Peter Lake, we expected littoral catch of minnows to first increase as minnows moved into the littoral zone due to the threat of bass predation and then decrease due to bass predation. We expected zooplankton biomass to increase as minnows moved into the littoral zone. We expected chlorophyll to decrease due to increased grazing by zooplankton. We expected that variance and autocorrelation of chlorophyll would increase as the food web passed a critical transition.
We expected that the time series in Paul Lake would represent the normal variability of an unmanipulated lake

Abstract

Daily chlorophyll for surface water samples in Paul, Peter, and Tuesday lakes from mid-May to early September for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015. Inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus were added to Peter and Tuesday lakes each year while Paul Lake was an unfertilized reference.

Abstract

High frequency continuous data for temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, chlorophyll a, and phycocyanin in Paul, Peter, and Tuesday lakes from mid-May to early September for the years 2013, 2014 and 2015. Inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus were added to Peter and Tuesday lakes each year while Paul Lake was an unfertilized reference.

Abstract

Data on total phosphorous, chlorophyll a, dissolved organic carbon, water color, and pH for a set of lakes located at the University of Notre Dame Environmental Research Center (UNDERC). Surface water samples were collected monthly from May through August either from shore with a telescoping pole or from a boat. Twenty lakes were sampled from 1995-2000. Fifteen of these lakes were sampled from 2001-2003.

Abstract

High-frequency sonde data collected from the surface waters of two lakes in Upper Peninsula of Michigan during the summers of 2008-2011. The food web of Peter Lake was slowly transformed by gradual additions of Largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) while Paul Lake was an unmanipulated reference. Sonde data were used to calculate resilience indicators to evaluate the stability of the food web and to calculate ecosystem metabolism.

Abstract

Zooplankton data from 1984-2016. Sampled approximately weekly with two net hauls through the water column (30 cm diameter net, 80 um mesh). There have been over eight zooplankton counters during this period, so species-level identifications (TAX, below) are not as consistent as those for some of the other datasets. Sampling Frequency: varies; Number of sites: 8

Abstract

Data useful for calculating and evaluating primary production processes were collected from 6 lakes from 1984-2016. Chlorophyll a and pheophytin were measured by the same fluorometric method from 1984-2016. In some years chlorophyll and pheophytin were separated into size fractions (total, and a ‘small’ fraction that passed a 35 um mesh screen). Primary production was measured by the 14C method from 1984-1998. Dissolved inorganic carbon for primary production calculation was calculated from Gran alkalinity titration and air-equilibrated pH until 1987 when this method was replaced by gas chromatography. Until 1995 alkaline phosphatase activity was measured as an indicator of phosphorus deficiency.

Abstract

Data on epilimnetic phytoplankton from 1984-2015, determined by light microscopy from pooled Van Dorn samples at 100 percent, 50 percent, and 25 percent of surface irradiance. St. Amand (1990) and Cottingham (1996) describe the counting protocols in detail. Samples after 1995 were counted by Phycotech Inc. (http://www.phycotech.com). Sampling Frequency: varies; Number of sites: 5

Abstract

Physical and chemical variables are measured at one central station near the deepest point of each lake. In most cases these measurements are made in the morning (0800 to 0900). Vertical profiles are taken at varied depth intervals. Chemical measurements are sometimes made in a pooled mixed layer sample (PML); sometimes in the epilimnion, metalimnion, and hypolimnion; and sometimes in vertical profiles. In the latter case, depths for sampling usually correspond to the surface plus depths of 50percent, 25percent, 10percent, 5percent and 1percent of surface irradiance.

Abstract

Physical and chemical variables are measured at one central station near the deepest point of each lake. In most cases these measurements are made in the morning (0800 to 0900). Vertical profiles are taken at varied depth intervals. Chemical measurements are sometimes made in a pooled mixed layer sample (PML); sometimes in the epilimnion, metalimnion, and hypolimnion; and sometimes in vertical profiles. In the latter case, depths for sampling usually correspond to the surface plus depths of 50percent, 25percent, 10percent, 5percent and 1percent of surface irradiance. The 1991-1999 chemistry data was obtained from the Lachat auto-analyzer. Like the process data, there are up to seven samples per sampling date due to Van Dorn collections across a depth interval according to percent irradiance. Voichick and LeBouton (1994) describe the autoanalyzer procedures in detail. Nutrient samples were sent to the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies for analysis beginning in 2000. The Kjeldahl method for measuring nitrogen is not used at IES, and so measurements reported from 2000 onwards are Total Nitrogen.