| Patuxent Science Meeting 2006 Poster Abstract |
| | Effects of multiple stressors on aquatic communities in the Prairie |
| | Pothole region |
| | Guntenspergen GR, Schoff PK, Johnson LB, Johnson WC |
| | The prairie pothole region (PPR), forming the northeastern edge of the Great Plains, |
| | encompasses a large area of diverse wetlands that represent crucial aquatic resources for flood |
| | control and aquatic and terrestrial production. Because most of the PPR is subject to mixed |
| | use agriculture and open grazing, the wetlands are routinely exposed to a variety of |
| | anthropogenic stressors, such as pesticides, nutrients, and domestic animal pathogens. In |
| | addition, higher latitudes are exposed to increased ultraviolet B radiation (UV-B). Climate |
| | models indicate that the PPR is likely to be severely impacted by climate change through |
| | increasing temperature and reduced precipitation. The objectives of this research are to: (1) |
| | Quantify relationships among land use, amphibian community structure, and composition in the |
| | prairie pothole region, (2) Quantify relationships among physical and chemical wetland |
| | attributes on amphibian organismal and community responses, (3) Quantify the effects of |
| | multiple stressors on organismal responses of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens), and (4) |
| | Predict potential effects of multiple stressors on prairie pothole wetlands and associated |
| | amphibian communities. |
| | Friday, September 22, 2006 |