Collaborative Research: Dispersion and Ecological Interactions of Clonal and Sexual Fish in a Successional Landscape

University Of North Dakota Main Campus, Grand Forks ND

Investigators

Abstract

Schlosser, Johnson & Elder DEB-9973357 The PI's propose to examine the influence of natural disturbances associated with beaver pond succession on spatial variation in the abundance of a clonal fish lineage. The PI's will address three broad objectives. First, they will determine if disturbance regime associated with hydrological variability and beaver pond succession has created predictable patterns of clone abundance and dispersal. Second, they will test the hypothesis that within beaver ponds, competitive interactions are weaker in areas where previous shifts in trophic morphology and resource use have occurred due to historically high clone abundance. Third, they will experimentally evaluate the response of clonal and sexual fish to temperature and hypoxic stress associated with beaver pond succession. These results will enhance our understanding of how geographic environmental differences influence the structure of fish communities and will provide insights into how disturbance and the introduction of clonal organisms in human dominated landscapes can impact aquatic vertebrates.