202 Swenson Science Building (in-person only)
Abstract
Anthropogenic drivers such as climate change and pollution can push an aquatic system past a critical threshold for preservation of ecosystem services. Evidence from aquatic monitoring and sedimentary records can be a valuable tool for management of these aquatic systems because it may serve as an early warning of future degradation if stressors remain unchecked. The use of microscopic primary producers (algae) as indicators of change is especially powerful because it can predict changes at the base of the food web, before more widespread impacts are realized. I use case examples of recent eutrophication and climate change to illustrate how our research team uses these microscopic biological tools in the Laurentian Great Lakes.