Due to the human creation and control of water fluctuations of Kentucky Lake, it is a unique environment which opens up an excellent area of research of biogeochemical and ecological processes within a reservior setting.  I have been concentrating on the activites of the family Cambaridea, also known as crayfish.  It is known that seasonal changes in crayfish density occur in Kentucky Lake due to the seasonal flooding of the littoral zone of Ledbetter Embayment (the study area).  In general, crayfish are oportunistic omnivores that feed on a wide varity of plants and animal minerals, and play an  important ecological role as detritivores.  Since little research has been conducted  on the littoral zone of reservoir systems, it is important to study such areas as we have the littoral zones of natural settings.  I have created five objectives to guide the study:

I.  To determine the crayfish species that inhabit Ledbetter Embayment   

II.  To determine the habitat of each species   

III. To observe changes as water levels fluctuate as seasons change   

IV. To observe changes in spatial distribution and sex ratios as water levels fluctuate      

 V. To determine whether water temperature has an effect on trappibility.

Each Sunday evening from June until winter pool, cylindrical minnow traps will be baited and set 10 meters apart in the littoral zone of Ledbetter Embayment.  The number of traps set each time will depend on the water level.  The next morning, traps will be checked and data such as species, carapace length, sex, claw length, and claw width will be recorded for each crayfish captured.  Then, all data will be logged into a data base for future use with a GIS computer program.  Not only will this study allow for trends in size and spacial distribution, it will provide potential to study interspecific competition (between species) and intraspecific competition (within the species).