Does ecological theory successfully predict how freshwater plankton communities respond to and recover from perturbation?
Cottingham, Kathryn*,1, 1 Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH ABSTRACT- Ecological theory predicts that the magnitude of response to perturbation (sensitivity) and the time it takes a system to recover after a perturbation (return time) depend on community structure and system productivity. I am using field experiments and simulation models to test these predictions for freshwater plankton communities. During summers 2002 and 2004, I quantified the effects of zooplankton community structure and nutrient supply rate on sensitivity and return time in experimental mesocosms. Each experiment crossed 2 community structures (Copepod-dominated and Daphnia-dominated) X 2 nutrient supply rates (Ambient vs. Enhanced) X 3 perturbations (Control, Removal of seston biomass, Addition of available nutrients), with 4 replicates per treatment. Phytoplankton responses to the Addition perturbation were larger than responses to the Removal in both experiments, probably due to difficulties in equalizing perturb
