Adirondack Fishery Research Program

Main Content

Research

AFRP research efforts often involve large-scale experimental manipulations and also make use of natural experiments -- such as disturbances or variable climate conditions -- that can help identify key ecosystem processes relevant to aquatic resource management. Since Kraft's arrival at Cornell in 1998 we have initiated and sustained several long-term projects evaluating key aquatic resource management issues, including: climate change impacts on coldwater fish and aquatic ecosystems, the impacts of dominant invasive species on fish communities and ecosystems, factors influencing large-scale fish mortality from thiamine deficiency, and the influence of forested landscapes on ecosystem processes in lakes and rivers.

The activities described in these web pages often do not fully reflect the most current research efforts. If you have questions or are interested in updated perspectives on topics described in these web pages, please contact Cliff Kraft or other research group members.

Current Research

Brook Trout Conservation & Management in a Changing Climate

Brook trout are found in thousands of lakes and streams throughout North America and present a unique opportunity to understand how variable environmental conditions influence fish populations. (more)

The Environmental and Ecological Importance of Thiamine and Thiamine Deficiency in Aquatic Food Webs

For decades, thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency has been recognized as causing extensive fish mortality in the Laurentian Great Lakes and Baltic Sea. New tools are now helping us make progress in understanding this long-standing environmental mystery. (more)

Fish Community and Population Response to Removal of Naturalized Smallmouth Bass in an Oligotrophic Adirondack Lake

This long-term ecosystem manipulation examines the ecosystem and fish community response to removal of smallmouth bass, a common non-native fish predator in north temperate aquatic ecosystems. (more)

Terrestrial Influences on Aquatic Ecosystems: Watershed Liming as a Restoration Practice

This watershed liming experiment will provide ongoing opportunities to understand fish population and ecosystem responses as Adirondack lakes and streams recover from acidification. (more)

Completed Research

Effects of Old-growth Riparian Forests on Adirondack Stream Systems

The presence of extensive primary forest in the Adirondacks provided an opportunity to understand linkages between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. (more)

Implementing a Topographic Index Approach to Identify Locations of Groundwater Input Along Adirondack Lake Shorelines

Upwelling groundwater along lake shorelines provides essential habitat for brook trout spawning and juvenile survival. (more)

Restoration of Round Whitefish in Adirondack Lakes

From 2004 through 2006, we evaluated the status and recovery of round whitefish in New York, as well as the seasonal distribution, growth and ecological role of these fish in lake food webs. (more)

Wood Dynamics Along the Terrestrial-aquatic Boundary in Northeastern Forests: The 1998 Ice Storm

The 1998 ice storm was a large-extent ecological disturbance that severely affected eastern Adirondack forests and associated streams. (more)