Interpretation of Bryozoan Microfossils in Lacustrine Sediment Cores

Thomas L. Crisman, Ulrike A. M. Crisman, Michael W. Binford

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Bryozoan statoblasts were isolated from the surficial sediments of 30 Florida lakes representing a gradient of trophic conditions. A prerequisite for lake selection was a good data base for water chemistry that was collected within the past 5-10 years. A novel technique of employing 210-Pb as a dilution tracer was used to estimate sedimentation rates for each lake. The net annual accumulation rate for bryozoan statoblasts was calculated for each lake and correlated with twelve physical, chemical, and biological variables. The results suggest that bryozoan distributions are strongly controlled by the extent of the littoral zone and phytoplankton biomass. It appears that bryozoan abundance in excessively weeded lakes may be limited by phytoplankton in spite of the richly developed habitat. Separation of the importance of food requirements from habitat requirements was not possible from this initial survey. © 1986 Dr W. Junk Publishers.

Original languageAmerican English
JournalHydrobiologia
Volume143
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 1986

Keywords

  • bryozoan statoblasts
  • Florida lakes
  • sediment

Disciplines

  • Earth Sciences

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