Determining the effects of salinity on plankton communities on Sapelo Island, Georgia

REU Fellow: Julia Tatchell, University of South Carolina

Mentor: Dr. John Carroll

Phytoplankton are autotrophic microorganisms that are important primary producers. Zooplankton are heterotrophic microorganisms that are secondary consumers of phytoplankton. Plankton communities are influenced by abiotic conditions. Studying plankton assemblages is important because they are excellent indicators of ecosystem health. We collected plankton using a plankton net and preserved samples with formalin. We stained plankton samples using Rose Bengal to facilitate identification. I counted and identified plankton using a compound microscope and compared communities between three sites across a salinity gradient. The greatest plankton abundance and species richness recorded at the site with the highest salinity (Cabretta Creek). The relationship between salinity and plankton abundance is statistically significant, but the relationship between salinity and species richness was not significant.