Ekman sampling of benthic invertebrates in Oneida Lake, New York, 1964-2006

Abstract

The Cornell Biological Field Station (CBFS) serves as a primary field site for aquatic research at Cornell University (more information can be found at http://www.dnr.cornell.edu/fieldst/cbfs.htm) and is part of the Department of Natural Resources, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The centerpiece of the station's research program is a 50-year database on the food web of Oneida Lake, New York, that has been collected with support from the Cornell University Brown Endowment and from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The data are collected by personnel from the Cornell Biological Field Station and include limnology, benthos, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and fish survey data, primarily from Oneida Lake and spanning 1957 to the present. This dataset contains counts of benthic invertebrates sampled from 1964-2006 at up to seven locations on Oneida Lake in central New York state. Samples were collected using an Ekman sampler, and invertebrates were handpicked from samples and identified to family or higher taxonomic level. The dataset is comprised of a primary table with fields for lake, date, site, gear, gear type, and abundance for each taxon counted. A secondary table contains latitude and longitude in decimal degrees for each site.