Claire L. Schelske

Department of Fisheries
and Aquatic Sciences

Claire L. Schelske

Eminent Scholar Emeritus

Ph.D., Zoology (Limnology), 1961
University of Michigan

M.S., Zoology, 1956
Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia

B.A., Biology, 1955
Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia

More Photos Below

Claire Schelske served as an Eminent Scholar as the Carl S. Swisher Professor of Water Resources, in the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences until January, 2001.

Schelske's research is concerned with factors affecting the biological productivity of lakes, particularly how nutrient enrichment affects water quality. Nutrient enrichment, which stimulates the growth of phytoplankton (microscopic plants), has been cause for concern for lake managers as it can produce undesirable effects in lakes. By experimentally "disturbing" natural lake waters with nutrients, Schelske has been able to determine which are in short supply for phytoplankton growth.

Another related management question stemming from this research questions whether nutrient enrichment has changed historically. Because long-term records from lake sampling are not available, efforts have been directed to studying historical changes from analysis of the sediment record in lakes. This type of paleolimnological research was used to study historic effects of phosphorus loading in the Great Lakes. In Florida, Schelske is using a similar approach to determine historical phosphorus loading in a number of lakes, including Lake Apopka.

E-mail: schelsk@ufl.edu

Resumé Includes all publications and major reports

Selected Publications

Schelske C. L., F. J. Aldridge, H. J. Carrick, and M. F. Coveney. 2006. Reply--Net production and heterotrophy in Lake Apopka: A reply to Bachmann et al. Archiv Hydrobiol. 166:565-576.

Gu, B. H., A. D. Chapman, and C. L. Schelske. 2006. Factors controlling seasonal variations in stable isotope composition of particulate organic matter in a soft water eutrophic lake. Limnol. Oceanogr. 51:2837-2848. pdf

Schelske, C. L. 2006. Comment on the origin of the "fluid mud layer"in Lake Apopka, Florida. Limnol. Oceanogr. 51:2472-2480. pdf

Schelske, C. L., E. F. Stoermer, and W. F. Kenney. 2006. Historic low-level phosphorus enrichment in the Great Lakes inferred from biogenic silica accumulation in sediment. Limnol. Oceanogr. 51:728-748. pdf

Waters, M. N., C. L. Schelske, W. F. Kenney, and A. D. Chapman. 2005. The use of sedimentary algal pigments to infer historic algal communities in Lake Apopka, Florida. J. Paleolimnol. 33:53-71. pdf

Schelske, C. L., E. F. Lowe, L. E. Battoe, M. Brenner, M. F. Coveney, and W. F. Kenney. 2005. Abrupt biological response to hydrologic and land-use changes in Lake Apopka, Florida (USA). Ambio 34:192-198. pdf

Schelske C. L., F. J. Aldridge, H. J. Carrick, and M. F. Coveney. 2003. Phytoplankton community photosynthesis and primary production in a hypereutrophic lake, Lake Apopka, Florida, Archiv Hydrobiol. 157:145-172.

Kenney, W. F., M. N. Waters, C. L. Schelske, and M. Brenner. 2002. Sediment records of phosphorus-driven shifts to phytoplankton dominance in shallow Florida lakes. J. Paleolimnol 27:367-377. pdf

Shumate, B. C., C. L. Schelske, T. L. Crisman, and W. F. Kenney. 2002. Response of the cladoceran community to trophic state change in Lake Apopka, Florida. J. Paleolimnol. 27:71-77.

Schelske, C. L. and W. F. Kenney. 2001. Model erroneously predicts failure for restoration of Lake Apopka, a hypereutrophic, subtropical lake. Hydrobiologia 448:1-5. pdf

Kenney, W. F., C. L. Schelske and A. D. Chapman. 2001. Changes in polyphosphate sedimentation: A response to excessive phosphorus enrichment in a hypereutrophic lake. Can J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 58:879-887. pdf

Schelske, C. L., M. F. Coveney, F. J. Aldridge, W. F. Kenney and J. E. Cable. 2000. Wind or nutrients: Historic development of hypereutrophy in Lake Apopka, Florida. Limnology and Lake Management 2000+. Arch. Hydrobiol. Spec. Issues Advanc. Limnol. 55:543-563. pdf

Schelske, C.L., F.J. Aldridge and W. Kenney. 1999. Assessing nutrient limitation and trophic state in Florida Lakes. Pages 321-339 In: K.R. Reddy, G.A. O'Connor, and C.L. Schelske (eds.) Phosphorous biogeochemistry in subtropical ecosystems. CRC Press/Lewis Publishers. pdf

Schelske, C.L. 1998. Diatoms as mediators of biogeochemical silica depletion in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Pages 73-84 In: E.F. Stoermer and J.P. Smol (eds.), The Diatoms: Applications for the Environmental and Earth Sciences. Cambridge University Press. PDF

Schelske, C.L., C. M. Donar and E. F. Stoermer. 1996. A test of peleolimnological proxies for the planktonic/benthos ratio of microfossil diatoms in Lake Apopks. In: 14th Diatom Symposium,, Mayama Idei and Koizumi (eds), Koeltz Scientific Boops, Koenigsstein,. PDF

Schelske, C.L. and D.A. Hodell. 1995. Using carbon isotopes of bulk sedimentary organic matter to reconstruct the history of nutrient loading and eutrophication in Lake Erie. Limnology and Oceanography 40:918-929. PDF

Schelske, C. L., H. J. Carrick, and F. J. Aldridge. 1995. Can wind-induced resuspension of meroplankton affect phytoplankton dynamics? J. N. Am. Benthol. Soc. 14:616-630. PDF

	William Kenney at the helm of University of Michigan's research vessel R/V Laurentian on Lake Ontario. William is a Scientific Research Manager in Dr. Schelske's lab.
	Dr. Claire Schelske and Dr. Dave Hodell (Geology Department) collaborate on gathering sediment core samples from Lake Ontario using a pore-water extractor.
	Historic lake conditions are inferred from diatom assemblages in sediment core samples. Pictured are two examples of diatoms, Cyclotella sp.and Aulacoselra sp.
	Dr. Schelske has studied a number of lakes by aquiring sediment samples, which determines their historical nutrient load. Shown here is a satellite view of Florida, covered with lakes whose histories are basically unknown until drill core samples are taken.

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