Zooscan imaging system

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The GRIL: `Groupe de Recherche Interuniversitaire en Limnologie et Environnement Aquatique` is seeking support for a ZooScan imaging system to a inter-university group of four professors from the Université de Montréal (UdeM), Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) and à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) for direct recognition, sizing and classification of freshwater zooplankton at coarse taxonomic scales or in functional groups. The ZooScan system uses a scanning sensor with a custom-built lighting system equipped with a watertight chamber into which samples can be poured, digitized at high resolution, and then recovered without damage. Automatic identification and classification of images can be done using the free open-source software ZooProcess which allows standardized image processing, analysis, and acquisition of metadata. The ZooScan has been successfully used to analyse zooplankton abundance and mass distribution in the Mediterranean and North Seas. We propose to use and adapt this instrument for lake and river zooplankton. This equipment will be the first prototype used for freshwaters in North America. It will be shared by four members of the GRIL to carry out five main projects: 1) analysis of functional groups of zooplankton in boreal lakes and ponds along eutrophication and disturbance gradients, 2) development of a trait-based approach to zooplankton functional biodiversity and early detection of aquatic invaders, 3) analysis of the composition and importance of zooplankton resources for larval development of yellow perch in the St.Lawrence River, 4) analysis of the role of functional groups of zooplankton in mercury transfer in lake food webs, and 5) Archiving of digitized zooplankton samples from lakes of the boreal ecozone in Canada. The ZooScan system will be primarily under the supervision of a postdoctoral fellow (UdeM) previously trained on the ZooScan in oceanography, but also used by another postdoctoral fellow (UQTR) and at least 6 students (2 Ph.D. 4 M.Sc) as well as undergraduate students over the next five years. The instrument will also be available for use by other GRIL members.