We focus on lake ecology and stewardship, especially in understanding and managing lake biological communities and ecosystem services with state, local, and tribal partners. We engage with a range of lake management challenges (e.g., water quality, aquatic invasive species, biodiversity) as we work with research partners to strengthen relationships between people and lakes.
Supporting innovative & adaptive invasive aquatic plant management
Funding: Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center, Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund
Partners: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Invasive Species Program
Invasive aquatic plant populations can become abundant and cause ecological and economic harm. This harm can be reduced through invasive aquatic plant management (IAPM) projects, which often include potentially harmful herbicidal treatments and removal of plants. While valuable statewide data exist to evaluate and improve IAPM, balancing the harm of invasive plants and their management, they are often decentralized and not easily compatible with one another for broader scale (e.g., statewide) evaluation and analysis. We are support innovative and adaptive IAPM by collating and harmonizing these data to learn from and improve IAPM across Minnesota, tailoring results to address state and local manager needs.
Understanding the role of zooplankton in the provisioning of lake ecosystem services
Funding: Environment & Natural Resources Trust Fund
Partners: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
Zooplankton are central to lake food webs, supporting water quality through grazing algae and fisheries as important prey. We are partnering with the MNDNR to link zooplankton to critical lake ecosystem services. In doing so, we aim to expand decision-making support at a broader, statewide scale regarding a critical yet poorly understood biological community in Minnesota lakes.
We are using historical and ongoing monitoring data from the MN DNR Sentinel Lakes (25 lakes) and Large Lakes (10 lakes) programs, as well as 315 MN lakes from the semi-decadal US EPA National Lakes Assessment (NLA) program to 1) critically evaluate the role of zooplankton in sustaining lake water quality and fisheries and 2) develop biotic indices that relate zooplankton community composition to these ecosystem services (biotic indices are important for tracking the health of our lakes).
Evaluating lake responses to common carp management
MAISRC Lab-to-Lakes
Funding: Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center
Partners: Chisago Chain of Lakes Lake Improvement District, Sherburne County Soil and Water Conservation District
Common carp can harm lake water quality and macrophyte communities when their populations are abundant. Managing carp via removals or limiting their movement can be an effective tool to restore this lost lake functioning. The MAISRC “Lab to Lakes Initiative” is partnering with local managers to manage carp in two ecologically distinct systems–Fremont Lake (Sherburne County, MN) and the Chisago Chain of Lakes (Chisago County, MN)--with a goal of reducing carp biomass and improving lake function within four years.
We are evaluating lake responses to common carp management by analyzing lake phosphorus cycling, water quality, and zooplankton and macrophyte species abundance and community composition. Monitoring will continue four years from the onset of management over two subproject phases, and we are comparing results to historical data where possible to provide more comprehensive evaluations of lake responses.
Statewide analysis
Funding: Minnehaha Creek Watershed District
Partners: Minnehaha Creek Watershed District, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
We have partnered with the MCWD to collate and analyze carp management, water quality, and macrophyte data across dozens of MN lakes with carp management projects (including 15 with pre- and post-management data for all carp, water quality, and macrophyte variables). Our analyses were informed by regular meetings with MCWD partners, other lake and watershed management organizations, MNPCA, MNDNR, and carp management contractors. We are in the process of finalizing the project report, which will be accessible on the MCWD website.