Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology

Diet Composition And Mercury Exposure In Bank Swallows (Riparia Riparia) Breeding At Lakeshore And Aggregate Pits, Corrine S. V. Génier Dec 2019

Diet Composition And Mercury Exposure In Bank Swallows (Riparia Riparia) Breeding At Lakeshore And Aggregate Pits, Corrine S. V. Génier

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Bank Swallows (Riparia riparia), a threatened species in Ontario, breed primarily in banks at lakeshores and in artificial aggregate pits. Inland pits may be ecological traps for this species, but the relative tradeoffs between these two nesting habitats are unknown. Availability of aquatic emergent insects at lakeshores may have associated nutritional benefits (e.g. Omega-3 fatty acids) and contaminants (e.g. mercury) that can directly influence juvenile growth. This study compares these breeding habitats to evaluate dietary differences as revealed by fatty acids, stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N, δ2H), fecal DNA barcoding, and mercury. Lakeshore-nesting …


The Stability Of Temperate Lakes Under The Changing Climate, Aleksey Paltsev Sep 2019

The Stability Of Temperate Lakes Under The Changing Climate, Aleksey Paltsev

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

There is a collective prediction among ecologists that climate change will enhance phytoplankton biomass in temperate lakes. Yet there is noteworthy variation in the structure and regulating functions of lakes to make this statement challengeable and, perhaps, inaccurate. To generate a common understanding on the trophic transition of lakes, I examined the interactive effects of climate change and landscape properties on phytoplankton biomass in 12,644 lakes located in relatively intact forested landscapes. Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) concentration was used as a proxy for phytoplankton biomass. Chl-a concentration was obtained via analyzing Landsat satellite imagery data over a 28-year period (1984-2011) and using …