NSF Award
2306897
Lakes around the world face rapidly warming temperatures coupled with shorter winters. These have an impact on surface ice formation and coverage in winter and can impact growth of lake algae and their interactions with other aquatic organisms. Increased algal blooms threaten water quality, drinking water supply, and recreation, as well as energy flow through food webs. In this project, researchers will mimic climate-induced changing lake futures by studying U.S. lakes from north to south, and ranging from ice covered to ice free in winter months. Their research will examine algal growth and interactions on a year-round scale using field observations, experiments and high-frequency environmental sensors, and will employ predictive modeling to assess how changes in climate will affect lake ecosystem structure and function. Broader Impacts will be achieved through the vehicles of community science, training of undergraduate and graduate researchers, and public engagement. Workforce development initiatives will provide training for water treatment plant operators at drinking water reservoirs and high school students. By engaging youth and community scientists, these partners/participants will be trained to actively serve as stewards of water quality in their respective communities, empowering them to be knowledgeable and engaged in research related to climate impacts on lake ecosystems. <br/><br/>To study the transition from ice covered to ice free winters, the overall objective of this project is to assess how changing ice cover impacts algae. There is an explicit need to understand how changing winter conditions influence algae, including seasonal succession, competitive outcomes, and the strength of the ecological response to prior ecosystem conditions (ecological memory). Studies on non-summer algal assemblages are rare. Connecting under-ice and ice-free periods is essential for understanding the impact of changing winter ice patterns on lake ecosystem dynamics. This objective will be accomplished via three specific aims:<br/><br/> 1. Elucidate how varying winter conditions across a wide range of lakes affect algal communities (including blooms and cyanotoxins) during the winter relative to summer.<br/> 2. Determine how the ecological memory of preceding conditions affects current algal community structure and function.<br/> 3. Differentiate how ice cover, underwater light, and algae will respond as climate change scenarios shift from ice covered lakes towards a future with no surface ice formation.<br/><br/>The working hypothesis is that the gradual loss of winter ice and snow cover will dramatically shape lake physical characteristics, which sets the template for algal species interactions and competitive outcomes. As a lake’s thermal regime shifts, there will be major changes to algal community interactions and competition, which will alter succession and bloom patterns. This work addresses foundational ecological questions related to community diversity and assembly, placed in the context of rapidly changing winter conditions. Research lakes include those within the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON). This project will contribute to the education and training of the future scientific and technical workforce needed to pursue basic research on regional to continental scale biology, and will engage a diverse community of learners, educators and managers in regional to continental scale research and the use of NEON.<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
