2015
|
Barak, Rebecca S.; Hipp, Andrew L.; Cavender-Bares, Jeannine; Pearse, William D.; Hotchkiss, Sara C.; Lynch, Elizabeth A.; Callaway, John C.; Calcote, Randy; Larkin, Daniel J.: Taking the Long View: Integrating Recorded, Archeological, Paleoecological, and Evolutionary Data into Ecological Restoration. In: International Journal of Plant Sciences, vol. 177, iss. 1, pp. 90-102, 2015. @article{Barak2015,
title = {Taking the Long View: Integrating Recorded, Archeological, Paleoecological, and Evolutionary Data into Ecological Restoration},
author = {Rebecca S. Barak and Andrew L. Hipp and Jeannine Cavender-Bares and William D. Pearse and Sara C. Hotchkiss and Elizabeth A. Lynch and John C. Callaway and Randy Calcote and Daniel J. Larkin},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1086/683394},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-11-16},
journal = {International Journal of Plant Sciences},
volume = {177},
issue = {1},
pages = {90-102},
abstract = {Historical information spanning different temporal scales (from tens to millions of years) can influence restoration practice by providing ecological context for better understanding of contemporary ecosystems. Ecological history provides clues about the assembly, structure, and dynamic nature of ecosystems, and this information can improve forecasting of how restored systems will respond to changes in climate, disturbance regimes, and other factors. History recorded by humans can be used to generate baselines for assessing changes in ecosystems, communities, and populations over time. Paleoecology pushes these baselines back hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years, offering insights into how past species assemblages have responded to changing disturbance regimes and climate. Furthermore, archeology can be used to reconstruct interactions between humans and their environment for which no documentary records exist. Going back further, phylogenies reveal patterns that emerged from coupled evolutionary-ecological processes over very long timescales. Increasingly, this information can be used to predict the stability, resilience, and functioning of assemblages into the future. We review examples in which recorded, archeological, paleoecological, and evolutionary information has been or could be used to inform goal setting, management, and monitoring for restoration. While we argue that long-view historical ecology has much to offer restoration, there are few examples of restoration projects explicitly incorporating such information or of research that has evaluated the utility of such perspectives in applied management contexts. For these ideas to move from theory into practice, tests performed through research-management partnerships are needed to determine to what degree taking the long view can support achievement of restoration objectives.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Historical information spanning different temporal scales (from tens to millions of years) can influence restoration practice by providing ecological context for better understanding of contemporary ecosystems. Ecological history provides clues about the assembly, structure, and dynamic nature of ecosystems, and this information can improve forecasting of how restored systems will respond to changes in climate, disturbance regimes, and other factors. History recorded by humans can be used to generate baselines for assessing changes in ecosystems, communities, and populations over time. Paleoecology pushes these baselines back hundreds, thousands, or even millions of years, offering insights into how past species assemblages have responded to changing disturbance regimes and climate. Furthermore, archeology can be used to reconstruct interactions between humans and their environment for which no documentary records exist. Going back further, phylogenies reveal patterns that emerged from coupled evolutionary-ecological processes over very long timescales. Increasingly, this information can be used to predict the stability, resilience, and functioning of assemblages into the future. We review examples in which recorded, archeological, paleoecological, and evolutionary information has been or could be used to inform goal setting, management, and monitoring for restoration. While we argue that long-view historical ecology has much to offer restoration, there are few examples of restoration projects explicitly incorporating such information or of research that has evaluated the utility of such perspectives in applied management contexts. For these ideas to move from theory into practice, tests performed through research-management partnerships are needed to determine to what degree taking the long view can support achievement of restoration objectives. |
Tweiten, Michael A.; Calcote, Randy R.; Lynch, Elizabeth A.; Hotchkiss, Sara C.; Schuurman, Gregor W.: Geophysical features influence the climate change sensitivity of northern Wisconsin pine and oak forests. In: Ecological Applications, vol. 25, iss. 7, pp. 1984-1996, 2015. @article{Tweiten2015,
title = {Geophysical features influence the climate change sensitivity of northern Wisconsin pine and oak forests},
author = {Michael A. Tweiten and Randy R. Calcote and Elizabeth A. Lynch and Sara C. Hotchkiss and Gregor W. Schuurman},
doi = { https://doi.org/10.1890/14-2015.1},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-10-01},
journal = {Ecological Applications},
volume = {25},
issue = {7},
pages = {1984-1996},
abstract = {Landscape-scale vulnerability assessment from multiple sources, including paleoecological site histories, can inform climate change adaptation. We used an array of lake sediment pollen and charcoal records to determine how soils and landscape factors influenced the variability of forest composition change over the past 2000 years. The forests in this study are located in northwestern Wisconsin on a sandy glacial outwash plain. Soils and local climate vary across the study area. We used the Natural Resource Conservation Service's Soil Survey Geographic soil database and published fire histories to characterize differences in soils and fire history around each lake site. Individual site histories differed in two metrics of past vegetation dynamics: the extent to which white pine (Pinus strobus) increased during the Little Ice Age (LIA) climate period and the volatility in the rate of change between samples at 50–120 yr intervals. Greater increases of white pine during the LIA occurred on sites with less sandy soils (R2 = 0.45, P < 0.0163) and on sites with relatively warmer and drier local climate (R2 = 0.55, P < 0.0056). Volatility in the rate of change between samples was positively associated with LIA fire frequency (R2 = 0.41, P < 0.0256). Over multi-decadal to centennial timescales, forest compositional change and rate-of-change volatility were associated with higher fire frequency. Over longer (multi-centennial) time frames, forest composition change, especially increased white pine, shifted most in sites with more soil moisture. Our results show that responsiveness of forest composition to climate change was influenced by soils, local climate, and fire. The anticipated climatic changes in the next century will not produce the same community dynamics on the same soil types as in the past, but understanding past dynamics and relationships can help us assess how novel factors and combinations of factors in the future may influence various site types. Our results support climate change adaptation efforts to monitor and conserve the landscape's full range of geophysical features.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Landscape-scale vulnerability assessment from multiple sources, including paleoecological site histories, can inform climate change adaptation. We used an array of lake sediment pollen and charcoal records to determine how soils and landscape factors influenced the variability of forest composition change over the past 2000 years. The forests in this study are located in northwestern Wisconsin on a sandy glacial outwash plain. Soils and local climate vary across the study area. We used the Natural Resource Conservation Service's Soil Survey Geographic soil database and published fire histories to characterize differences in soils and fire history around each lake site. Individual site histories differed in two metrics of past vegetation dynamics: the extent to which white pine (Pinus strobus) increased during the Little Ice Age (LIA) climate period and the volatility in the rate of change between samples at 50–120 yr intervals. Greater increases of white pine during the LIA occurred on sites with less sandy soils (R2 = 0.45, P < 0.0163) and on sites with relatively warmer and drier local climate (R2 = 0.55, P < 0.0056). Volatility in the rate of change between samples was positively associated with LIA fire frequency (R2 = 0.41, P < 0.0256). Over multi-decadal to centennial timescales, forest compositional change and rate-of-change volatility were associated with higher fire frequency. Over longer (multi-centennial) time frames, forest composition change, especially increased white pine, shifted most in sites with more soil moisture. Our results show that responsiveness of forest composition to climate change was influenced by soils, local climate, and fire. The anticipated climatic changes in the next century will not produce the same community dynamics on the same soil types as in the past, but understanding past dynamics and relationships can help us assess how novel factors and combinations of factors in the future may influence various site types. Our results support climate change adaptation efforts to monitor and conserve the landscape's full range of geophysical features. |
2012
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Crausbay, Shelley D.; Hotchkiss, Sara C.: Pollen–vegetation relationships at a tropical cloud forest's upper limit and accuracy of vegetation inference. In: Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology, vol. 184, pp. 1-13, 2012. @article{Crausbay2012,
title = {Pollen–vegetation relationships at a tropical cloud forest's upper limit and accuracy of vegetation inference},
author = {Shelley D. Crausbay and Sara C. Hotchkiss},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.revpalbo.2012.07.010},
year = {2012},
date = {2012-09-15},
journal = {Review of Palaeobotany and Palynology},
volume = {184},
pages = {1-13},
abstract = {Palaeoecological records are increasingly needed from tropical montane systems. To infer past tropical vegetation dynamics, understanding modern pollen–vegetation relationships is required, but understanding effects of different sampling media between calibration datasets and palaeorecords is also needed. This is especially true when palaeorecords are derived from bogs or lakes with boggy shores and common wetland plants share the same pollen taxon with important upland plants that distinguish tropical vegetation types (e.g., Poaceae and Plantago). We assessed modern pollen–vegetation relationships around an upper cloud forest line in the Hawaiian Islands and tested the utility of a modern pollen calibration dataset derived from 88 surface soil samples when applied in 10 test wetland sites more typical of palaeorecords. We assessed over- and under-representation of pollen/spore taxa with a direct comparison to plant abundance and derived several metrics from the pollen/spore assemblages — analogs, ordinations, relative abundance of life forms, and ratios of life forms. We used the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) to (1) compare metric performance at distinguishing vegetation around the upper forest line, (2) assess whether excluding wetland taxa significantly affected metric performance, and (3) test the accuracy of vegetation inference. Pollen–vegetation relationships were influenced by great ecological breadth and over- or under-representation of pollen and spores, which could be explained by pollination syndrome (wind vs. animal), grain/spore mass and upslope transport in winds. However, we found no evidence that upslope transport significantly blurred the upper-forest-line signal here, likely because winds are predominantly perpendicular to slope, and vertically constrained by the trade-wind inversion. Pollen from Poaceae and Plantago characterizes vegetation around this Hawaiian upper forest line and dominates wetland assemblages. Removing wetland taxa from the modern pollen calibration dataset levied no cost on a metric's performance, and greatly reduced the incidence of inaccurate vegetation inference in test sites. Minor error rates remained when rare, over-represented, or ecologically broad types were used in isolation. Overall, this study demonstrates that inferring forest line position from fossil pollen/spore assemblages requires careful consideration because (1) differences in sampling media between the modern calibration dataset and palaeorecords create opportunity for inaccurate vegetation inference and (2) some metrics perform better than others.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Palaeoecological records are increasingly needed from tropical montane systems. To infer past tropical vegetation dynamics, understanding modern pollen–vegetation relationships is required, but understanding effects of different sampling media between calibration datasets and palaeorecords is also needed. This is especially true when palaeorecords are derived from bogs or lakes with boggy shores and common wetland plants share the same pollen taxon with important upland plants that distinguish tropical vegetation types (e.g., Poaceae and Plantago). We assessed modern pollen–vegetation relationships around an upper cloud forest line in the Hawaiian Islands and tested the utility of a modern pollen calibration dataset derived from 88 surface soil samples when applied in 10 test wetland sites more typical of palaeorecords. We assessed over- and under-representation of pollen/spore taxa with a direct comparison to plant abundance and derived several metrics from the pollen/spore assemblages — analogs, ordinations, relative abundance of life forms, and ratios of life forms. We used the Receiver Operator Characteristic (ROC) to (1) compare metric performance at distinguishing vegetation around the upper forest line, (2) assess whether excluding wetland taxa significantly affected metric performance, and (3) test the accuracy of vegetation inference. Pollen–vegetation relationships were influenced by great ecological breadth and over- or under-representation of pollen and spores, which could be explained by pollination syndrome (wind vs. animal), grain/spore mass and upslope transport in winds. However, we found no evidence that upslope transport significantly blurred the upper-forest-line signal here, likely because winds are predominantly perpendicular to slope, and vertically constrained by the trade-wind inversion. Pollen from Poaceae and Plantago characterizes vegetation around this Hawaiian upper forest line and dominates wetland assemblages. Removing wetland taxa from the modern pollen calibration dataset levied no cost on a metric's performance, and greatly reduced the incidence of inaccurate vegetation inference in test sites. Minor error rates remained when rare, over-represented, or ecologically broad types were used in isolation. Overall, this study demonstrates that inferring forest line position from fossil pollen/spore assemblages requires careful consideration because (1) differences in sampling media between the modern calibration dataset and palaeorecords create opportunity for inaccurate vegetation inference and (2) some metrics perform better than others. |
Ireland, Alex W.; Booth, Robert K.; Hotchkiss, Sara C.; Schmitz, Jennifer E.: Drought as a Trigger for Rapid State Shifts in Kettle Ecosystems: Implications for Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change. In: Wetlands volume, vol. 32, pp. 989–1000, 2012. @article{Ireland2012,
title = {Drought as a Trigger for Rapid State Shifts in Kettle Ecosystems: Implications for Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change},
author = {Alex W. Ireland and Robert K. Booth and Sara C. Hotchkiss and Jennifer E. Schmitz },
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s13157-012-0324-6},
year = {2012},
date = {2012-07-18},
journal = {Wetlands volume},
volume = {32},
pages = {989–1000},
abstract = {Global climate change has raised important questions about ecosystem resilience and the likelihood of unexpected and potentially irreversible ecosystem state shifts. Conceptual models provide a framework for generating hypotheses about long-term ecosystem processes and their responses to external perturbations. In this article, we review the classic model of autogenic peatland encroachment into closed-basin kettle lakes (terrestrialization) as well as studies that document patterns of terrestrialization that are inconsistent with this hypothesis. We then present a new conceptual model of episodic, drought-triggered terrestrialization, which is consistent with existing data and provides a mechanism by which climatic variability could cause non-linear patterns of peatland development in these ecosystems. Next, we review data from comparative studies of kettle lakes along a peatland-development gradient to explore potential ecological and biogeochemical consequences of non-linear patterns of terrestrialization. Finally, we identify research approaches that could be used to test conceptual models of terrestrialization, investigate the ecological implications of non-linear patterns of peatland development, and improve our ability to predict responses of kettle systems to climate changes of the coming decades and century.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Global climate change has raised important questions about ecosystem resilience and the likelihood of unexpected and potentially irreversible ecosystem state shifts. Conceptual models provide a framework for generating hypotheses about long-term ecosystem processes and their responses to external perturbations. In this article, we review the classic model of autogenic peatland encroachment into closed-basin kettle lakes (terrestrialization) as well as studies that document patterns of terrestrialization that are inconsistent with this hypothesis. We then present a new conceptual model of episodic, drought-triggered terrestrialization, which is consistent with existing data and provides a mechanism by which climatic variability could cause non-linear patterns of peatland development in these ecosystems. Next, we review data from comparative studies of kettle lakes along a peatland-development gradient to explore potential ecological and biogeochemical consequences of non-linear patterns of terrestrialization. Finally, we identify research approaches that could be used to test conceptual models of terrestrialization, investigate the ecological implications of non-linear patterns of peatland development, and improve our ability to predict responses of kettle systems to climate changes of the coming decades and century. |
2011
|
Karlin, Eric F.; Hotchkiss, Sara C.; Boles, Sandra B.; Stenøien, Hans K.; Hassel, Kristian; Flatberg, Kjell I.; Shaw, A. Jonathan: High genetic diversity in a remote island population system: sans sex. In: New Phytologist, vol. 193, iss. 4, pp. 1088-1097, 2011. @article{Karlin2011,
title = {High genetic diversity in a remote island population system: sans sex},
author = {Eric F. Karlin and Sara C. Hotchkiss and Sandra B. Boles and Hans K. Stenøien and Kristian Hassel and Kjell I. Flatberg and A. Jonathan Shaw},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03999.x},
year = {2011},
date = {2011-12-21},
journal = {New Phytologist},
volume = {193},
issue = {4},
pages = {1088-1097},
abstract = {It has been proposed that long-distance dispersal of mosses to the Hawaiian Islands rarely occurs and that the Hawaiian population of the allopolyploid peat moss Sphagnum palustre probably resulted from a single dispersal event.
•
Here, we used microsatellites to investigate whether the Hawaiian population of the dioicous S. palustre had a single founder and to compare its genetic diversity to that found in populations of S. palustre in other regions.
•
The genetic diversity of the Hawaiian population is comparable to that of larger population systems. Several lines of evidence, including a lack of sporophytes and an apparently restricted natural distribution, suggest that sexual reproduction is absent in the Hawaiian plants. In addition, all samples of Hawaiian S. palustre share a genetic trait rare in other populations. Time to most recent ancestor (TMRCA) analysis indicates that the Hawaiian population was probably founded 49–51 kyr ago.
•
It appears that all Hawaiian plants of S. palustre descend from a single founder via vegetative propagation. The long-term viability of this clonal population coupled with the development of significant genetic diversity suggests that vegetative propagation in a moss does not necessarily preclude evolutionary success in the long term.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
It has been proposed that long-distance dispersal of mosses to the Hawaiian Islands rarely occurs and that the Hawaiian population of the allopolyploid peat moss Sphagnum palustre probably resulted from a single dispersal event.
•
Here, we used microsatellites to investigate whether the Hawaiian population of the dioicous S. palustre had a single founder and to compare its genetic diversity to that found in populations of S. palustre in other regions.
•
The genetic diversity of the Hawaiian population is comparable to that of larger population systems. Several lines of evidence, including a lack of sporophytes and an apparently restricted natural distribution, suggest that sexual reproduction is absent in the Hawaiian plants. In addition, all samples of Hawaiian S. palustre share a genetic trait rare in other populations. Time to most recent ancestor (TMRCA) analysis indicates that the Hawaiian population was probably founded 49–51 kyr ago.
•
It appears that all Hawaiian plants of S. palustre descend from a single founder via vegetative propagation. The long-term viability of this clonal population coupled with the development of significant genetic diversity suggests that vegetative propagation in a moss does not necessarily preclude evolutionary success in the long term. |
Kellner, James R.; Asner, Gregory P.; Vitousek, Peter M.; Tweiten, Michael A.; Hotchkiss, Sara; Chadwick, Oliver A.: Dependence of Forest Structure and Dynamics on Substrate Age and Ecosystem Development. 2011. @bachelorthesis{Kellner2011,
title = {Dependence of Forest Structure and Dynamics on Substrate Age and Ecosystem Development},
author = {James R. Kellner and Gregory P. Asner and Peter M. Vitousek and Michael A. Tweiten and Sara Hotchkiss and Oliver A. Chadwick },
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10021-011-9472-4},
year = {2011},
date = {2011-09-07},
journal = {Ecosystems volume},
volume = {14},
pages = {1156–1167},
abstract = {We quantified rates, sizes, and spatial properties of prevailing disturbance regimes in five tropical rain forest landscapes on a substrate-age gradient in Hawaii. By integrating measurements from airborne LiDAR with field studies and statistical modeling, we show that the structure and dynamics of these forests respond to processes that change during the development of ecosystems. On young substrates of 0.3 ky where forests are in primary succession and are limited by N, mean canopy height was 13 m and height decreases more than 1 m occurred in small, isolated events (power-law exponent = 1.69 ± 0.02, n = 61 gaps ha−1). The proportion of the landscape affected by disturbance increased on high-fertility intermediate-aged substrates of 5–65 ky and canopies were heterogeneous. Frequencies of height decreases more than 1 m were n = 14, 18, and 30 gaps ha−1 corresponding to power-law exponents of 2.188 ± 0.02, 2.220 ± 0.03, and 1.982 ± 0.02 on substrates of 5, 20, and 65 ky. There was a substantial difference between forests on a 150 ky substrate and sites of 5–65 ky; trees on the older substrate formed patchworks of stunted cloud-forest and stands of taller-stature trees. The frequency of recent disturbance events more than 1 m was n = 48 gaps ha−1, corresponding to a power-law exponent of 1.638 ± 0.01. Across the substrate-age gradient, the proportion of each landscape that decreased in height by more than 1 m was 0.16, 0.40, 0.41, 0.36, and 0.17, respectively. These findings demonstrate that substrate age and processes associated with ecosystem development can mediate the rates, sizes, and spatial characteristics of disturbance regimes on forested landscapes, and point toward the necessity of large-area samples to obtain robust estimates of natural dynamics.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {bachelorthesis}
}
We quantified rates, sizes, and spatial properties of prevailing disturbance regimes in five tropical rain forest landscapes on a substrate-age gradient in Hawaii. By integrating measurements from airborne LiDAR with field studies and statistical modeling, we show that the structure and dynamics of these forests respond to processes that change during the development of ecosystems. On young substrates of 0.3 ky where forests are in primary succession and are limited by N, mean canopy height was 13 m and height decreases more than 1 m occurred in small, isolated events (power-law exponent = 1.69 ± 0.02, n = 61 gaps ha−1). The proportion of the landscape affected by disturbance increased on high-fertility intermediate-aged substrates of 5–65 ky and canopies were heterogeneous. Frequencies of height decreases more than 1 m were n = 14, 18, and 30 gaps ha−1 corresponding to power-law exponents of 2.188 ± 0.02, 2.220 ± 0.03, and 1.982 ± 0.02 on substrates of 5, 20, and 65 ky. There was a substantial difference between forests on a 150 ky substrate and sites of 5–65 ky; trees on the older substrate formed patchworks of stunted cloud-forest and stands of taller-stature trees. The frequency of recent disturbance events more than 1 m was n = 48 gaps ha−1, corresponding to a power-law exponent of 1.638 ± 0.01. Across the substrate-age gradient, the proportion of each landscape that decreased in height by more than 1 m was 0.16, 0.40, 0.41, 0.36, and 0.17, respectively. These findings demonstrate that substrate age and processes associated with ecosystem development can mediate the rates, sizes, and spatial characteristics of disturbance regimes on forested landscapes, and point toward the necessity of large-area samples to obtain robust estimates of natural dynamics. |
2009
|
Alexander, M. L.; Hotchkiss, S. C.: Bosmina remains in lake sediment as indicators of zooplankton community composition. In: Journal of Paleolimnology, vol. 43, pp. 51-59, 2009. @article{Alexander2009,
title = {Bosmina remains in lake sediment as indicators of zooplankton community composition},
author = {M. L. Alexander and S. C. Hotchkiss },
doi = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s10933-009-9312-0},
year = {2009},
date = {2009-02-04},
journal = {Journal of Paleolimnology},
volume = {43},
pages = {51-59},
abstract = {We measured Bosmina spp. mucro and antennule lengths in surface sediment samples from Wisconsin lakes to test whether such measures could be used to reconstruct zooplankton community composition and size structure in paleolimnological studies. Our data set included 58 lakes of various depths, water chemistry, trophic state, macrophyte cover, and zooplankton community composition. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination (NMS) and simple correlation analysis to assess whether mucro and antennule measurements reflect the zooplankton community size structure. Bosmina mucro length (r = 0.727, p < 0.05) and antennule length (r = 0.360, p < 0.05) correlated with the NMS axis, which essentially represents zooplankton community size structure. Bosmina mucro length correlated positively with the abundance of the large-bodied zooplankter Epischura lacustris (r = 0.364, p < 0.01), as well as Diacyclops thomasi (r = 0.256, p < 0.05), and Leptodiaptomus minutus (r = 0.578, p ≤ 0.001), but correlated negatively with the abundance of the small-bodied zooplankter Tropocyclops prasinus (r = −0.385, p < 0.01). Bosmina antennule length correlated positively with the abundance of L. minutus (r = 0.344, p < 0.01) and negatively with T. prasinus (r = −0.258, p < 0.05). This broad, spatial scale assessment supports the use of Bosmina mucro and antennule lengths as a proxy for zooplankton community size structure. Mucro length is a stronger indicator of zooplankton community size structure as seen in its strong correlation with the NMS axis 1 and the significant correlations with abundance of predatory copepods.},
keywords = {},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
We measured Bosmina spp. mucro and antennule lengths in surface sediment samples from Wisconsin lakes to test whether such measures could be used to reconstruct zooplankton community composition and size structure in paleolimnological studies. Our data set included 58 lakes of various depths, water chemistry, trophic state, macrophyte cover, and zooplankton community composition. We used non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination (NMS) and simple correlation analysis to assess whether mucro and antennule measurements reflect the zooplankton community size structure. Bosmina mucro length (r = 0.727, p < 0.05) and antennule length (r = 0.360, p < 0.05) correlated with the NMS axis, which essentially represents zooplankton community size structure. Bosmina mucro length correlated positively with the abundance of the large-bodied zooplankter Epischura lacustris (r = 0.364, p < 0.01), as well as Diacyclops thomasi (r = 0.256, p < 0.05), and Leptodiaptomus minutus (r = 0.578, p ≤ 0.001), but correlated negatively with the abundance of the small-bodied zooplankter Tropocyclops prasinus (r = −0.385, p < 0.01). Bosmina antennule length correlated positively with the abundance of L. minutus (r = 0.344, p < 0.01) and negatively with T. prasinus (r = −0.258, p < 0.05). This broad, spatial scale assessment supports the use of Bosmina mucro and antennule lengths as a proxy for zooplankton community size structure. Mucro length is a stronger indicator of zooplankton community size structure as seen in its strong correlation with the NMS axis 1 and the significant correlations with abundance of predatory copepods. |