Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region
Tags: aquatic ecosystems, biology, benthic invertebrates, algae, littoral habitats
| Principal Investigator: | Hebben, Thorsten (1) |
| Licence Number: | 13056 |
| Organization: | University of Alberta |
| Licensed Year(s): |
1999
|
| Issued: | Jun 30, 1999 |
| Project Team: | 1 summer student |
Objective(s): Epipelagic algae live on and within the top few millimetres of submerged littoral sediments. They comprise a vital component of most aquatic ecosystems particularly in clear, shallow lakes and streams in which the phytoplankton may be poorly developed. The objective of this study is to examine the migratory habits of epipelic algae in 10 small, shallow bodies of water in the region of the arctic circle. These lakes will be studied not only to examine the effects of 24-hour daylight on migration, but also to draw parallels between various chemical and physical parameters of the water and species composition in the epipelon.
Project Description: The objective of this study is to examine the migratory habits of epipelic algae in 10 small, shallow bodies of water in the region of the arctic circle. A 3/4 ton 4x4 pickup truck will be used to travel to each of ten ponds located 6 km north of Inuvik, N.W.T. The ponds will be sampled over a period of 2 days each between July 6 and July 20, 1999, using a technique perfected during the summer of 1998. On the first day, 48 clear acrylic rings will be placed onto unobstructed sediment. Each of these rings will have lens tissue adhered to it, completely covering one end. A pair of oppositely-placed 1 gram lead weights will be glued to the other end for ballast. Placed weight-side-up, these rings will be used to capture algae that migrate into the tissue. Rings will be removed every hour between midnight of that day and midnight of the following day. Dissolved oxygen concentration, pH, temperature, light penetration, and conductivity of the water will be recorded at each sampling time. Tissues will be removed from rings and placed into glass scintillation vials. Microdigestion, diatom analysis, and analysis of other algae will then take place in the laboratory.
