Department or Program

Environmental Studies

Abstract

The cyanobacterium Gloeotrichia echinulata is common to freshwater lakes across the Northeast US, where it forms large colonies during the summer months. G. echinulata is somewhat unique in the fact that it has the capacity to form harmful algal blooms (HABs) in oligotrophic lakes, which typically do not experience algal blooms. Furthermore, it has the ability to take up sedimentary phosphorus while in a dormant state on the lake floor, and a high percentage of water-column G. echinulata populations come directly from the lake sediment, rather than forming through division. Because of these characteristics, G. echinulata is known to promote the formation of cyanobacterial blooms of other species, and it may contribute to the eutrophication of lake ecosystems over time. In order to better understand the life cycle of G. echinulata and the environmental factors influencing its growth, we developed a compartmental model in MATLAB for the germination and benthic recruitment phases of its life cycle. This model was based on G. echinulata recruitment and environmental data collected from Lake Sunapee, an oligotrophic lake in New Hampshire, from 2009-2017. Comparison of simulated G. echinulata recruitment to actual recruitment from field data shows temperature as a major factor in predicting benthic recruitment. In addition, results show that there may exist an optimal temperature for G. echinulata growth, one which is hotter than Lake Sunapee ever typically reaches in-water. Potential future research might involve expanding the model to cover more study sites, finding explanations for some interesting results of the model, and developing other strategies to more accurately capture G. echinulata recruitment and its response to environmental drivers.

Level of Access

Restricted: Archival Copy [No Access]

Date of Graduation

5-2025

Degree Name

Bachelor of Science

Number of Pages

66

Components of Thesis

1 pdf file

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