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Full-Text Articles in Biology
Can Zooplankton On The North American Great Plains ‘Keep Up’ With Climate-Driven Salinity Change?, Mariam Elmarsafy
Can Zooplankton On The North American Great Plains ‘Keep Up’ With Climate-Driven Salinity Change?, Mariam Elmarsafy
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
The Great Plains of North America are projected to become more arid as the climate changes over the next century. Salinity levels for lakes in this region are linked to climate, suggesting that lakes will become more saline as the climate becomes drier. One group of organisms that might be affected by increased salinity levels are the zooplankton, aquatic invertebrates that transfer energy from primary producers to macroinvertebrates and fish. Little is known about the ability of zooplankton to adapt to long-term increases in lake salinity levels. For my thesis, I used resurrection ecology to examine how a common zooplankter, …
Impacts Of Transportation Infrastructure On Water Quality, Sediment Loads, And Fishing Opportunities In The Gwich’In Settlement Area, Northwest Territories, Matthew Teillet
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
The addition of gravel sediment to build ferry landings on the Peel and Mackenzie Rivers has been an ongoing concern for the Gwich’in communities of Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic that depend on the rivers for their livelihoods. Specifically, there are concerns that gravel from ferry landings is degrading water quality, harming fishing opportunities, and altering river morphology downstream. Previous reports concluded that ferry operations were not impacting downstream ecology. However, past studies had methodological shortcomings and community concerns about the ferry landings remain. To study the impact of the gravel landings on water quality, I utilized a multidisciplinary study design …
Abiotic Conditions, Algal Biomass & Fish Growth Rates Affect Fish Mercury Concentrations In Two Subarctic Lakes, Ari Yamaguchi
Abiotic Conditions, Algal Biomass & Fish Growth Rates Affect Fish Mercury Concentrations In Two Subarctic Lakes, Ari Yamaguchi
Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)
Kakisa Lake and Tathlina Lake, located in the Dehcho Region of the Northwest Territories, support important fisheries for the local Ka’a’gee Tu First Nation (KTFN). Recently, Walleye (Sander vitreus) of typical catch size in Tathlina Lake were found to have mercury concentrations above Health Canada’s commercial sale guideline of 0.5 ppm. Wild foods with elevated mercury concentrations can pose health risks to the humans who consume them, depending on consumption amounts and vulnerability factors such as age and pregnancy. Because wild fish can accumulate relatively high mercury levels and subsistence fishing contributes greatly to food security in northern …