Network-based biomonitoring of freshwater ecosystems in relation to anthropogenic impacts

水生生态系统面临着人类活动在一系列空间和时间尺度上的压力，表现为多种压力情景。我的研究重点是通过诊断的发展，包括基于驱动物种从站点到区域尺度的转换的潜在机制的压力特定指标的测试，以提高对这些压力的后果的理解。我将研究在地方到区域尺度上的淡水大型无脊椎动物的生物多样性的多重压力的影响。这将通过调整现有的知识的敏感性的关键大型无脊椎动物类群特定的压力（如农药，干旱）与一个机械的理解如何字符状态-“性状”-可以导致物种的损失，通过环境过滤。我在项目资助期内寻求三个奖学金的支持。在第一年，硕士学生-1将研究食物网网络属性沿着河流洪泛区环境梯度受到人类访问干扰。这将使用DNA元条形码和注释与来自文献和在线数据库来源的先验知识相结合来完成。同样在第一年，博士生-1将探索从先前的知识产生的食物网结构之间的关系（即食物网络链接图书馆、基于性状的分析和文献综述）和现有的生态质量衡量标准，与一个大型数据库相结合，该数据库中有来自一个具有国际重要性的大型内陆湿地综合体的相互关联的环境和生物监测观测数据（伍德布法罗国家公园，阿尔伯塔的和平-阿萨巴斯卡三角洲），包括分子分类学数据的数据系列（2010-2018）。研究的目的是探索食物网结构的变异性（如营养高度，连接密度）可以更有效地使用作为一种管理工具，在生态影响的景观。在第三年，与其他人合作，理学硕士学生2将扩展这种数据挖掘方法，专注于从在线文献的大型语料库中提取生物体大小的特定定量信息。他们的项目将侧重于加拿大分类群或来自其他地区（欧洲，北美）的密切相关的代理分类群。上述研究侧重于生态系统规模，涉及大空间尺度的环境观测和监测，因此在国际一级具有雄心。这项工作不仅是可以实现的，而且将为监测人类世的淡水生态系统提供一个新的基准。除了改善生态系统管理的实际好处外，这项研究还为HQP提供了一个独特的培训机会，特别是考虑到在赠款的有效期内可从其他来源获得的相关资金。最后，所获得的研究成果将为测试生物多样性和食物网理论的关键要素提供绝佳的机会，并具有潜在的全球应用前景。

Aquatic ecosystems face pressures from human activities operating at a range of spatial and temporal scales, manifested through multiple stressor scenarios. My research focuses on improving understanding of the consequences of these pressures through development of diagnostics, including testing of stressor-specific indicators based on underlying mechanisms driving species turnover from site-to-regional scales. I will study multiple stressor impacts at local to regional scales on the biodiversity of freshwater macroinvertebrates. This will be achieved by aligning existing knowledge of the sensitivity of key macroinvertebrate taxa to specific stressors (e.g. pesticides, drought) with a mechanistic understanding of how character states - 'traits' - can result in species loss through environmental filtering. I am seeking support for three studentships within the project funding period. In Year 1, MSc student-1 will study food web network properties along a river floodplain environmental gradient subject to human access disturbance. This will be done using a combination of DNA metabarcoding and annotation with prior knowledge derived from literature and on-line database sources. Also in Year 1, PhD Student-1 will explore the relationship between food web structure generated from prior knowledge (i.e. food web links libraries, traits-based analysis and literature review) and existing measures of ecological quality, in combination with a large database of linked environmental and biomonitoring observational data from a large inland wetland complex of international importance (the Peace-Athabasca Delta in Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta), including a data series (2010-2018) of molecular taxonomic data. The aim of the study will be to explore food web structural variability (e.g. trophic height, linkage density) can be used more effectively as a management tool within anthropogenically-influenced landscapes. In Year 3, in collaboration with others, MSc Student 2 will extend this data-mining approach to focus on the extraction of specific quantitative information on organism body size from a large corpus of online literature. Their project will focus on Canadian taxa or closely-related proxy taxa from other regions (Europe, North America). Through its focus at ecosystem scale, dealing with environmental observation and monitoring at large spatial scales, the research described above is ambitious at an international level. This work is not only achievable, but will provide a new benchmark for monitoring freshwater ecosystems in the Anthropocene. In addition to the practical benefits of improved ecosystem management, the research offers a unique training opportunity for HQP, particularly given the linked funding available from other sources over the lifetime of the grant. Finally, the research results obtained will provide excellent opportunity to test key elements of biodiversity and food web theory with potential global application.