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运行的压力，这种压力通过多种应激源情景表现出来。我的研究重点是通过开发诊断方法，包括测试基于从地点到区域尺度驱动物种周转的潜在机制的应激源特定指标，来提高对这些压力后果的理解。我将研究在地方到区域尺度上对淡水大型无脊椎动物生物多样性的多重压力影响。这将通过将现有的关于关键的大型无脊椎动物分类群对特定应激源(如杀虫剂、干旱)的敏感性的知识与对特征状态(特征)如何通过环境过滤导致物种丧失的机械性理解相结合来实现。我正在为项目资助期内的三个奖学金项目寻求支持。在第一年，理科硕士学生-1将学习沿河流泛滥平原环境梯度的食物网络特性，受人类访问干扰。这将使用DNA元编码和注释的组合以及从文献和在线数据库来源获得的先验知识来完成。同样在一年级，博士生1将探索由先前知识产生的食物网络结构(即食物网络链接图书馆、基于特征的分析和文献综述)与现有的生态质量衡量标准之间的关系，并结合来自具有国际重要性的大型内陆湿地复合体(艾伯塔省伍德布法罗国家公园的和平-阿萨巴斯卡三角洲)的相关环境和生物监测观测数据的大型数据库，包括一系列分子分类数据(2010-2018年)。这项研究的目的将是探索食物网结构变异性(例如营养高度、连接密度)在受人类活动影响的景观中是否可以更有效地用作管理工具。在第三年，硕士学生2将与其他人合作，扩展这种数据挖掘方法，专注于从大量在线文献语料库中提取关于生物体大小的特定定量信息。他们的项目将专注于加拿大的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。通过将重点放在生态系统尺度上，在大空间尺度上进行环境观测和监测，上述研究在国际一级雄心勃勃。这项工作不仅是可以实现的，而且将为监测人类世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有效期内可从其他来源获得相关资金。最后，所获得的研究成果将为检验具有潜在全球应用潜力的生物多样性和食物网理论的关键要素提供极好的机会。

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.