Continued Monitoring of Macrophyte Biomass and Filamentous Algal Cover in Conesus Lake Summer 2009

Abstract

This study continues a long-term program designed to monitor trends in growth of macrophyte beds and filamentous algae along the shoreline of Conesus Lake. The program was initiated as part of the U.S.D.A. watershed project and is now sustained with the support of Livingston County. We now have an extensive and valuable ten-year record of plant biomass and distribution that can be used to assess natural changes in the Conesus Lake ecosystem and to evaluate the efficacy of management practices that target nuisance plant growth. The results of the 2009 monitoring study reported here provide more evidence on the potential changes in plant growth at North Gully Cove brought about by the rechanneling of North Gully creek. Because our study sites are a subset of those included in the U.S.D.A. project, the present study also contributes to the long-term database of macrophyte and filamentous algal growth along the shoreline in Conesus Lake.