Trait-based Approaches to Harmful Algal Blooms.

LITCHMAN, ELENA; EVANS, MARY ANNE; DE TEZANOS PINTO, PAULA; KLAUSMEIER, CHRISTOPHER

Toledo

Conferencia; 52 nd International Association of Great Lakes Research (IAGLR),; 2009

Great Lakes Research

Trait-based approaches are being increasingly used in terrestrial ecology to explain and predict distributions of different taxa along environmental gradients. Here we show that this approach can be applied to understanding the occurrences of Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) in diverse water bodies. We analyze major functional traits of HAB species (mostly cyanobacteria) such as cell size, nutrient and light requirements and grazer resistance. There are significant differences in trait values between HAB species and other major taxa. For example, in cyanobacteria growth rates tend to saturate at lower irradiances compared to other groups. Using the EPA NES data, we also analyze patterns of HAB species distributions along major environmental gradients. Finally, we show that merging the trait data and species distributions data improves mechanistic understanding of the environmental controls on and allows better predictions of HABs.