Documenting phytoplankton community change through Vermont’s first algal herbarium

Changes in phytoplankton community structure provide insight into ecosystem responses to changing disturbance regimes such as the increasing intensity and frequency of severe weather events in Vermont. However, long-term monitoring programs have not consistently documented algal communities in Vermont lakes and ponds. Collaborating with the VT DEC, we have created 100+ permanent slides to form the first herbarium collection of algae in Vermont, providing a long-term record representing lakes and ponds across the state. Future work will focus on characterizing functional trait diversity of samples to support research on disturbance phenology for phytoplankton communities and ecosystem function.