User: | Open Learning Faculty Member:
In my project, I am looking at the effects of community structure on the growth of Farlow’s Seaweed. In specific, I’m determining whether there is a difference between the growth of Farlow’s Seaweed when it is dominant (completely based on number of Farlow’s seaweed compared to other species present within the tide pool) in a tide pool vs. when it is not. Theoretically, I believe that interspecific nutrient competition is the main driving force behind the different growth rates. In my study, I looked at tide pools as “semi-closed” environments. What I mean by this is that the shared pool of nutrients available to all organisms is refreshed in high tides, but when it is low tide there is a minimal intake of new nutrients. As a result, organisms within the tide pools will have to compete for nutrients. Growth rates for algae are significantly influenced by how well they can out-compete other species for nutrients (White et al., 2013; McConico and Vogt, 2013). Based on my observations, I believe that Farlow’s Seaweed is not a good competitor for resources, and will grow much better (I’m using weight as a measurement) in environments with little competition from other species. When there is a large source of competition for nutrients, Farlow’s Seaweed is expected to be smaller in size.
Key phrases: nutrient limitation, interspecific competition, community structure.
very clearly stated