Phosphorus Dynamics in an Ozark Stream and a Hyper-eutrophic Lake in East Central Missouri
Department
Biological Sciences
Major
Biology
Research Advisor
Niyogi, Dev
Advisor's Department
Biological Sciences
Funding Source
Missouri S&T Opportunities for Undergraduate Research Experiences (OURE) Program; Freshwater Ecology Lab
Abstract
I compared phosphorus dynamics in 2 different aquatic systems: Mill Creek, a mesotrophic stream in Missouri’s, south-central Ozarks, and a small, six acre hypereutrophic lake in east central Missouri. It was hypothesized that the greatest factors influencing phosphorus levels in Mill Creek were rainfall events during the sampling year of 2009. I measured a significant increase in both total phosphorus (TP), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) phosphorous levels during rain events. This correlation between rain flow and mobile phosphorous within Mill Creek can be seen across the year. In the lake, I hypothesized that the distribution of phosphorus is not uniform, and that the main contributor to the varying distribution is rainfall. The data supports this hypothesis in that it presents itself as two distinctly different distribution curves. Furthermore the major form of phosphorus within the lake system is organic matter with only 5% of TP as SRP.
Biography
Drew Menke is a senior in the Biological Sciences department and will be graduating this May with a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry. His education will continue this summer, as he attends the University of Missouri as a graduate student, in their biochemistry department.
Research Category
Sciences
Presentation Type
Poster Presentation
Document Type
Poster
Award
Sciences poster session, Third place
Location
Upper Atrium/Hallway
Presentation Date
07 Apr 2010, 9:00 am - 11:45 am
Phosphorus Dynamics in an Ozark Stream and a Hyper-eutrophic Lake in East Central Missouri
Upper Atrium/Hallway
I compared phosphorus dynamics in 2 different aquatic systems: Mill Creek, a mesotrophic stream in Missouri’s, south-central Ozarks, and a small, six acre hypereutrophic lake in east central Missouri. It was hypothesized that the greatest factors influencing phosphorus levels in Mill Creek were rainfall events during the sampling year of 2009. I measured a significant increase in both total phosphorus (TP), and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) phosphorous levels during rain events. This correlation between rain flow and mobile phosphorous within Mill Creek can be seen across the year. In the lake, I hypothesized that the distribution of phosphorus is not uniform, and that the main contributor to the varying distribution is rainfall. The data supports this hypothesis in that it presents itself as two distinctly different distribution curves. Furthermore the major form of phosphorus within the lake system is organic matter with only 5% of TP as SRP.
