Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0009-0008-6176-8124

Date of Award

Summer 8-20-2026

Document Type

Thesis (Master's)

Department or Program

Ecology, Evolution, Environment and Society

First Advisor

Kathryn L. Cottingham

Second Advisor

Matthew P. Ayres

Third Advisor

Celia Y. Chen

Abstract

In tropical freshwater ecosystems influenced by the annual monsoon, seasonal monsoon-associated changes in hydrological and physicochemical conditions can shape phytoplankton community dynamics. As primary producers of freshwater ecosystems, phytoplankton respond rapidly to environmental change and are therefore useful indicators of ecosystem responses to seasonal climatic forcing. However, how seasonal monsoon dynamics translate into ecological responses is not entirely clear. In particular, it remains unclear whether ecological responses to these seasonal changes are consistent across similar freshwater ecosystems. To address these questions, I compared seasonal phytoplankton dynamics between two nearby tropical freshwater ponds exposed to the same regional monsoon over a 2.5-year period, examining both aggregate phytoplankton dynamics and community composition based on major phytoplankton groups. Although both study ponds experienced similar monsoon-associated environmental variation, aggregate phytoplankton properties, including total biovolume and sample-to-sample growth rate, showed only weak associations with the monsoon-associated environmental gradient. In contrast, phytoplankton community composition exhibited stronger seasonal forcing, with one pond tracking the environmental gradient more closely than the other. Together, our results suggest that exposure to the same regional monsoon does not necessarily result in similar phytoplankton responses.

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