The impacts of human development on habitat and fish communities in Douglas Lake.

Abstract

Lakeshore development has been shown to have effects on abiotic and biotic factors in lakes and on fish communities. In order to further test this theory an observational study was performed on the developed and undeveloped sides of Douglas Lake. Four sites, paired by similarity of habitat, were chosen to study habitat variables in relation to fish diversity and abundance. We hypothesized that development would impact abiotic factors of the lake, macrophyte densities and decrease fish abundance and diversity. Based on our data we concluded that while there were few significant differences between developed and undeveloped sides of the lake trends in our data suggest development may be having some impact. Further research of the topic is important for conserving biodiversity of the lake and guiding sustainable development.