Aquatic Ecosystem Function in Developed Landscapes

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Human development of landscapes is a global threat to aquatic ecosystem integrity. Our ability to protect these important ecosystems is hindered by limited understanding of catchment scale effects of landscape development on aquatic conditions. My lab integrates landscape and aquatic sciences to develop and apply novel environmental assessment approaches. Our objective is to detail the effects of landscape development patterns on aquatic ecosystem conditions. Such knowledge is important not only as a new and very significant contribution to aquatic ecosystem sciences, but also for efficient and effective watershed monitoring and management. The proposed research will integrate landscape scale observational studies with artificial stream experiments to determine relationships between key indicators of aquatic ecosystem function and landscape development patterns at the catchment scale. Using existing monitoring data, we will quantify the influence of landscape development on stream nutrient conditions and predict nutrient concentrations for historical and future landscape patterns. We will also establish dose-response relationships for functional indicators of ecological condition across a broad range of contemporary landscape development patterns. Using the knowledge gained from the first two components we will generate realistic experiments in artificial streams to examine ecological responses to predicted nutrient conditions outside the bounds, both higher and lower, of contemporary landscapes. Combined, this research will improve understanding of the interconnectedness of landscapes and aquatic ecosystems while also providing the knowledge and tools for improved watershed management within Canada and around the world. The proposed work will engage collaboration with 2 PhD students, 4 MSc students, 5 undergraduate thesis students, 1 research technician and multiple undergraduate assistants. These students will receive extensive training in all aspects of research within aquatic sciences providing them with the communication, leadership and technical skills for successful careers in the academic, government and private sectors.