Species-Specific Growth Rates of Phytoplankton at an Offshore Station in Southern Lake Michigan

摘要

This research project was designed specifically to investigate seasonal succession phenomena and the primary factors regulating growth rates of individual phytoplankton species at an offshore station in southeastern Lake Michigan by the use of autoradiographic analysis. Autoradiographic analysis is a powerful technique for determining differences in species-specific growth rates. Dipping emulsion is the method of choice. Analysis show that small species of algae in Lake Michigan generally are more photosynthetically active than larger species (especially lake diatoms), and that growth rates of algae in Lake Michigan are higher during summer than during spring and fall.