Lake Mendota, Wisconsin, USA, Phytobenthos Abundance and Community Composition 2016-2018
Abstract
We sampled the phytobenthos (epibenthic periphyton) of Lake Mendota from 2016-2018 to track impacts of invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) which were discovered in Lake Mendota in 2015 and grew exponentially to densities greater than 10,000 m-2 in shallow, rocky habitat by 2018. We sampled along three transects inherited from Karatayev et al. (2013) at five different depths (1, 3, 5, 8, and 10 m) twice a summer (June and August) from 2016-2018. A pared-down version of this routine sampling continued from 2019 onward but is not included here. This dataset complements zebra mussel and zoobenthos data collected according to the same routine sampling structure, for which data is also archived with EDI.
Core Areas
Dataset ID
391
Data Sources
Date Range
-
LTER Keywords
Methods
We sampled phytobenthos twice a summer (early June and late August) from 2016-2018 at five depths (1, 3, 5, 8, and 10m) along three transects running perpendicular to shore (A-C, Fig. 1). We collected triplicate samples at each site. SCUBA divers retrieved one rock at rock-dominated sites, or a petri dish full of undisturbed sediment at sand- and muck-dominated sites, and transported samples to the surface in a resealable plastic bag. In the laboratory, we scrubbed phytobenthos from rocks with a brush or emptied petri dish contents into a beaker. We separated phytobenthos from inorganic material by adding ~1 L of deionized water, homogenizing the sample, allowing settlement of inorganic material, and decanting the suspended phytobenthos. We kept samples dark and refrigerated until completely processed to prevent cell division after collection. <br/>We sampled phytobenthos twice a summer (early June and late August) from 2016-2018 at five depths (1, 3, 5, 8, and 10m) along three transects running perpendicular to shore (A-C, Fig. 1). We collected triplicate samples at each site. SCUBA divers retrieved one rock at rock-dominated sites, or a petri dish full of undisturbed sediment at sand- and muck-dominated sites, and transported samples to the surface in a resealable plastic bag. In the laboratory, we scrubbed phytobenthos from rocks with a brush or emptied petri dish contents into a beaker. We separated phytobenthos from inorganic material by adding ~1 L of deionized water, homogenizing the sample, allowing settlement of inorganic material, and decanting the suspended phytobenthos. We kept samples dark and refrigerated until completely processed to prevent cell division after collection.
NTL Keyword
NTL Themes
Version Number
1