R. Lawrence Klotz, Professor R. Lawrence Klotz, Professor
| Room: | |
| Phone: | 607-753-2709 |
| E-mail: | klotz@cortland.edu |
Denison University, B.S.
University of Connecticut, M.S., Ph.D.
A number of students and I have studied streams in Central New York to determine how human activities as well as natural processes affect them. We have studied the effect of deicing road salt on sodium concentration and fish respiration, the effect of acid rain on algae, the effect of agriculture on nutrient concentrations, and many other topics. But one of the largest impactors on streams is a natural one, and that is the beaver. We found that the ponds created by beaver dams greatly increase bacterial activity along the stream, and sometimes result in a significant increase in the concentration of phosphorus, the most important nutrient in streams. Students in my Conservation Biology class have also found increased biodiversity along streams as a result of beaver ponds.
Songster-Alpin,M.S. and R.L. Klotz. 1995. A comparison of electron transport system activity in stream and beaver pond sediments. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 52: 1318-1326.
Klotz,R.L. 1992. Factors influencing alkaline phosphatase activity of streams epilithon. J. Freshwater Ecology 7: 233-242.
The impact of beaver on the cycling of phosphorus in streams. National Science Foundation Grant No. DEB 9205279 $110,140. 1992-1995.
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