FISH POPULATION CHANGES AND THE MECHANISMS ASSOCIATED WITH CHANGE IN AN ACIDIFIED LAKE: ACIDIFICATION TO pH 5.5

Abstract

The report describes fish research on Little Rock Lake, Vilas County, Wisconsin during the period from April 1, 1985 through March 15, 1987. Fish research was initiated on Little Rock Lake during August 1983 as part of a larger research program designed to determine the potential effects of acid precipitation on lake ecosystems. Research focusing on water chemistry, nutrient cycling, zooplankton dynamics, macroinvertebrates and ground water was conducted concurrently with the fish research. The complement of projects was selected to measure system response and to define effect mechanisms. A project steering committee serves to stimulate development of appropriate research designs and interactions between the scientists involved. The fish research program was designed to complement the concurrent research in addition to achieving project specific objectives.