Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Higher "prim. prod." in our warmed stream?

One of the predictions from metabolic theory is that net primary production should increase with higher temperatures. We've been warming Stream 7 since October last year, so this is the first spring since we started the manipulation. A thick growth of an as-yet unidentified green alga is now appearing in thick patches in several areas along the warmed reach. We've never seen this before, so it could well be a response to warming. Check out Dan Nelson's photo taken last week. Click on the photo for a better look.