Biocomplexity at North Temperate Lakes LTER; Whole Lake Manipulations: Aquatic Macrophytes 2001 - 2010

Macrophyte surveys were conducted on Sparkling Lake, Vilas County, Wisconsin in mid-July
of the years 2001 to 2004 and 2007 to 2009. Eight sites were chosen that corresponded to
trap survey sites for rusty crayfish and represented the range of macrophyte communities in
the lake. At each site, we swam a transect perpendicular to shore from 0 to 4 m depths. A
tape measure extended from shore to the 4 m depth contour, and buoys were placed at the 1,
2, 3, and 4 m depth contours. Quadrats were placed along each transect at 1 m intervals.We
visually estimated the percent cover of each macrophyte species within a 1 meter-squared
quadrat. Transect: corresponds to trap survey site number. Quadrat: occur at 1 m intervals
starting from shore (0) and going until you reach the 4 m depth contour (highest number).
Substrate: substrate within the quadrat categorized as muck, sand, gravel, cobble, logs,
leaves, or any combination of these. Abundance: percent cover of each species within the
quadrat determined by visual estimation. The percent covers of all species within a quadrat
do NOT necessarily add to 100. Depth Interval: depth interval that each quadrat was in.
Quadrats between 0 and 1 m deep are in depth interval 1, those between 1 and 2 m deep are in
depth interval 2, etc. Number of sites: 8 Sampling Frequency: annually during summer