Gradients of productivity (i.e., gradients of
resource availability and energy input) exist in all ecosystems,
and can drive many ecological patterns, including biodiversity,
energy flow, species composition, and food web interactions. In
addition, many ecosystems have become eutrophic and/or degraded
because of excessive productivity. The mechanisms underlying patterns
and processes related to productivity are numerous, but recent
theoretical and experimental approaches have begun to provide
insight in specific model systems, such as herbaceous plant communities,
and aquatic phytoplankton assemblages. This cluster, focused around
the effects of productivity on ecological patterns and processes, assembled researchers sharing a common question, but brought together insights from different model ecosystems that shed
new light on specific cases and general mathematical and conceptual
theory. Ultimately, these works may provide critical information on the stewardship
of human-dominated ecosystems.
Participating faculty: Drs. Ann Rypstra , M.H.
Hank Stevens, and Michael
J. Vanni
- Effects of
watershed land use on phytoplankton primary production and photosynthetic
parameters in
Ohio
reservoirs - Katherine Seymour (
D
enison University) with Dr. Michael
J. Vanni
