Orlando Sarnelle

Professor
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Natural Resources Building
Michigan State University
East Lansing, MI 48824-1222
(517) 353-4819
FAX: (517) 432-1699
Office: Room 163A
Email: sarnelle@msu.edu

News

The Center for Water Sciences

Photograph of toxic algal scum

Education

Ph. D. - University of California, Santa Barbara.

M. S. - University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

B. S. - Rutgers University.

Research

I am a limnologist and ecologist with relatively broad interests. A major theme in my research has been to understand the roles that interactions among aquatic populations (primarily phytoplankton and zooplankton) play in population and community dynamics within lakes. I am also interested in how these interactions impact the overall functioning of aquatic ecosystems. The approach that I take to questions relies very heavily on field experimentation, and I am very interested in assessing how well such experiments inform us about processes in nature.

I am a member of the Ecology, Evolutionary Biology & Behavior program and the Center for Water Sciences at MSU, and an adjunct faculty member at the W. K. Kellogg Biological Station. I am also a member of the Editorial Board of Ecology/Ecological Monographs.

Selected projects

Interactions between Daphnia and cyanobacteria in eutrophic lakes- We are currently working to extend previous counter-intuitive results regarding the impact of Daphnia grazing on supposedly-inedible cyanobacteria (blue-green algae), and conversely, the effect of cyanobacteria on Daphnia's dynamics. This research has implications for the control of nuisance cyanobacteria in productive lakes. We have recently demonstrated that Daphnia pulicaria
collected from lakes with high concentrations of cyanobacteria are better able to grow on a diet of 100% toxic cyanobacteria than individuals of the same species collected from lakes with little or no cyanobacteria.

Zebra mussels and toxic algal blooms in lakes- We are investigating the link between zebra mussel invasion and the incidence and severity of blue-green algal blooms in Michigan lakes. We are conducting large-scale experiments to determine the functional relationship between zebra mussel abundance and phytoplankton biomass and species composition. We have demonstrated that zebra mussels increase the abundance of Microcystis aeruginosa, a toxic phytoplankton species, and the concentration of microcystin toxin, in lakes with low to moderate nutrient levels. This finding has radical implications for both the field of limnology and for the management of water quality.

High Sierra Experimental Lakes-

We are examining how the removal of an exotic predator influences population, community and ecosystem dynamics at the whole-lake scale. High-elevation lakes in the Sierra were once fishless, with a unique set of planktonic and benthic species that are driven locally extinct by the stocking of exotic trout. From a set of whole-lake manipulations, we have demonstrated that the probability of recovery from local extinction is much lower for sexually-reproducing copepods than for asexually-reproducing Daphnia. We are currently working to quantify the effect of mate limitation in preventing the re-establishment of sexually-reproducing copepods, despite the presence of viable resting eggs in the sediment. We have also quantified the effect of fish removal and zooplankton recovery on primary producers in these lakes.

Meta-analysis- I have been part of a working group sponsored by the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis examining issues regarding the application of meta-analysis to ecological questions. Meta-analysis, the quantitative synthesis of published experimental results, holds great promise for prediction and generality, but the techniques used in classical meta-analysis require conceptual modification before being applied in ecology. A recent meta-analysis we conducted uncovered consistent evidence of a Type 3 functional response in Daphnia.

Graduate Students

Alan Wilson (MS, 2001)
Lesley Knoll (MS, 2004)
Andrew Kramer (PhD, 2007)
Geoffrey Horst (PhD, current)
Jeffrey White (MS, current)

Interested in graduate study in my lab?

If so, I recommend sending me your resume, a description of your research interests, and copies of transcripts and GRE scores (unofficial copies OK) before you apply to the Graduate School.

Information about admission requirements and applying for graduate study

Courses

FW364 Ecological Problem Solving (Spring)
ISP217 Water and the Environment
ISP217L Water and the Environment Laboratory

Selected Publications

Carlsson, N. O. L., O. Sarnelle and D. Strayer. in press. Native predators and exotic prey – an acquired taste? Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment.

Hamilton, S. K., D. A. Bruesewitz, G. P. Horst, and O. Sarnelle. 2009. Precipitation of phosphorus with calcite as a negative feedback to lake eutrophication. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 66:321-342.

Kramer, A. and O. Sarnelle. 2008. Limits to genetic bottlenecks and founder events imposed by the Allee effect. Oecologia 157:561-569. GET PDF

Knapp, R. A. and O. Sarnelle. 2008. Recovery after local extinction: factors affecting re-establishment of alpine lake zooplankton after removal of nonnative fish. Ecological Applications 18:1850-1859. GET PDF

Kramer, A. O. Sarnelle and R. A. Knapp. 2008. Allee effect limits colonization success of sexually reproducing zooplankton. Ecology 89:2760-2769. GET PDF

Sarnelle, O. and A. E. Wilson. 2008. Type III functional response in Daphnia. Ecology 89:1723-1732. GET PDF

Knoll, L. B., O. Sarnelle, S. K. Hamilton, C. E. H. Scheele, A. E. Wilson, J. B. Rose and M. R. Morgan. 2008. Invasive zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) increase cyanobacterial toxin concentrations in low-nutrient lakes. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 65:448-455. GET PDF

Sarnelle, O. 2007. Initial conditions mediate the interaction between Daphnia and bloom-forming cyanobacteria. Limnology and Oceanography 52:2120-2127. GET PDF

Wilson, A. E., O. Sarnelle and A. Tillmanns. 2006. Effects of cyanobacterial toxicity and morphology on population growth of freshwater zooplankton: meta-analysis of laboratory experiments. Limnology and Oceanography 51:1915-1924. GET PDF

Sarnelle, O. 2005. Daphnia as keystone predators: effects on phytoplankton diversity and grazing resistance. Journal of Plankton Research 12:1229-1238.
GET PDF

Sarnelle, O. and R. A. Knapp. 2005. Nutrient recycling by fish versus zooplankton grazing as drivers of the trophic cascade in alpine lakes. Limnology and Oceanography 51:2032-2042. GET CORRECTED PDF

Sarnelle, O., and A. E. Wilson. 2005. Local adaptation of Daphnia pulicaria to toxic cyanobacteria. Limnology and Oceanography 50:1565-1570. GET PDF

Sarnelle, O., A. E. Wilson, S. K. Hamilton, L. B. Knoll, and D. E. Raikow. 2005. Complex interactions between exotic zebra mussels and the noxious phytoplankter, Microcystis aeruginosa. Limnology and Oceanography 50:896-904. GET PDF

Wilson, A. E., O. Sarnelle, B. A. Neilan, T. P. Salmon, M. M. Gehringer and M. E. Hay. 2005. Genetic variation of the bloom-forming cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, within and among lakes: implications for harmful algal blooms. Applied and Environmental Microbiology 71:6126-6133. GET PDF

Sarnelle, O. and R. A. Knapp. 2004. Zooplankton recovery after fish removal: limitations of the egg bank. Limnology and Oceanography 49:1382-1392. GET PDF

Sarnelle, O. 2003. Non-linear effects of an aquatic consumer: causes and consequences. American Naturalist 161:478-496. GET PDF

Wilson, A. E. and O. Sarnelle. 2002. Relationship between zebra mussel biomass and total phosphorus in European and North American lakes. Archiv für Hydrobiologie 153:339-351.

Knapp, R. A., K. R. Matthews and O. Sarnelle. 2001. Resistence and resilience of alpine lake fauna to fish introductions. Ecological Monographs 71:401-421.

Sarnelle, O. 1999. Zooplankton effects on vertical particulate flux: Testable models and experimental results. Limnology and Oceanography 44:357-370.

Osenberg, C. W., O. Sarnelle, S. D. Cooper and R. D. Holt. 1999. Resolving ecological questions through meta-analysis: goals, metrics and models. Ecology 80:1105-1117.

Downing, J. A., C. W. Osenberg and O. Sarnelle. 1999. Meta-analysis of marine nutrient-enrichment experiments: variation in the magnitude of nutrient limitation. Ecology 80:1157-1167.

Englund, G., O. Sarnelle and S. D. Cooper. 1999. The importance of data selection criteria: meta-analyses of stream predation experiments. Ecology 80:1132-1141.

Cooper, S. D., S. Diehl, K. Kratz and O. Sarnelle. 1998. Implications of scale for patterns and processes in freshwater ecology. Australian Journal of Ecology 23:27-40.

Osenberg, C. W., O. Sarnelle and S. D. Cooper. 1997. Effect size in ecological experiments: the application of biological models in meta-analysis. American Naturalist 150:798-812.

Sarnelle, O. 1997. Daphnia effects on microzooplankton: comparison of enclosure and whole-lake responses. Ecology 78:913-928.

Sarnelle, O. 1994. Inferring process from pattern: trophic level abundances and imbedded interactions. Ecology 75:1835-1841.

Sarnelle, O. 1993. Herbivore effects on phytoplankton succession in a eutrophic lake. Ecological Monographs 63:129-149.

Sarnelle, O., K. W. Kratz and S. D. Cooper. 1993. Effects of an invertebrate grazer on the spatial arrangement of a benthic microhabitat. Oecologia 96:208-218.

Sarnelle, O. 1992. Contrasting effects of Daphnia on ratios of nitrogen to phosphorus in a eutrophic, hard-water lake. Limnology and Oceanography 37:1527-1542.

Sarnelle, O. 1992. Nutrient enrichment and grazer effects on phytoplankton in lakes. Ecology 73:551-560.

Last updated: June, 2009