Clemson University TigerPrints All Theses Theses 12-2018 Positive Interactions in Freshwater Systems Samuel Clarence Silknetter Clemson University,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses Recommended Citation Silknetter, Samuel Clarence, "Positive Interactions in Freshwater Systems" (2018). All Theses. 3257. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_theses/3257 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. POSITIVE INTERACTIONS IN FRESHWATER SYSTEMS A Thesis Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Science Wildlife and Fisheries Biology by Samuel Clarence Silknetter December 2018 Accepted by: Dr. Brandon Peoples, Committee Chair Dr. Kyle Barrett Dr. Troy Farmer ABSTRACT The goals of this thesis are twofold, 1) to review the existing literature on positive interactions, and 2) to experimentally test the role of biotic context in a freshwater reproductive interaction. First, my co-authors and I have conducted a review of positive interactions in freshwaters to establish a direction for future research. By outlining case studies and causal mechanisms, we illustrate the diversity of positive interactions, and set the stage for a comprehensive look at the role of context in shaping interaction outcomes. Our research directive focuses on the value of both basic life history and experimental research, then using those findings to investigate these interactions under different contexts, in different levels of ecosystem structure, and at multiple geographic scales.