Current Students
Kelli Charbonneau, MSc candidate Honours BSc Environmental Toxicology, Queen's University
Contact: kelli.charbonneau(a)unb.ca
Research: “Cumulative effects of forest management on stream food webs in the Batchawana watershed, Ontario”
Forest management activities in Canada’s boreal zone are ecologically linked to the structure and biodiversity of their adjacent aquatic systems. Forest harvesting, road construction, and pesticide application impact not only forest and soil composition in terrestrial environments, but also biogeochemical cycling, nutrient concentration, and sediment and organic matter input in aquatic environments.
My research will focus on analyzing a variety of environmental parameters (leaf litter decomposition, sediment deposition, water chemistry, etc.) and food web structure in streams in the Batchawana watershed, Ontario. Streams studied were chosen across a range of forest management intensity to help link anthropogenic disturbance and forest condition with environment impacts. A comprehensive and predictive understanding of the cumulative effects associated with forest management is critical to maintaining healthy future forest and aquatic system conditions.
This project will contribute to a larger research network, the Canadian Network for Aquatic Ecosystem Services, which examines how watershed disturbances influence the provision of ecosystem services from Canada’s aquatic environments to both humans and our non-human friends.
Contact: kelli.charbonneau(a)unb.ca
Research: “Cumulative effects of forest management on stream food webs in the Batchawana watershed, Ontario”
Forest management activities in Canada’s boreal zone are ecologically linked to the structure and biodiversity of their adjacent aquatic systems. Forest harvesting, road construction, and pesticide application impact not only forest and soil composition in terrestrial environments, but also biogeochemical cycling, nutrient concentration, and sediment and organic matter input in aquatic environments.
My research will focus on analyzing a variety of environmental parameters (leaf litter decomposition, sediment deposition, water chemistry, etc.) and food web structure in streams in the Batchawana watershed, Ontario. Streams studied were chosen across a range of forest management intensity to help link anthropogenic disturbance and forest condition with environment impacts. A comprehensive and predictive understanding of the cumulative effects associated with forest management is critical to maintaining healthy future forest and aquatic system conditions.
This project will contribute to a larger research network, the Canadian Network for Aquatic Ecosystem Services, which examines how watershed disturbances influence the provision of ecosystem services from Canada’s aquatic environments to both humans and our non-human friends.
Jon Fischer-Rush, MSc candidate
BSc Biology, McGill University
Contact: jfischer(a)unb.ca
Research: "Uptake of nutrients and metals from salmon aquaculture into benthos in the Bay of Fundy"
Aquaculture has been present in the Bay of Fundy for over 30 years and it is a large part
of the New Brunswick economy. However, inputs of nutrients and contaminants from feed, salmon byproducts and antifouling agents on nets may be having negative impacts on the benthic communities surrounding these farms. It is not clear whether nearby invertebrates, including lobster, incorporate these wastes into their tissues.
This is why, over the next two years, I plan on collecting three invertebrate species, each with a different feeding strategy, using artificial substrates and sediments from aquaculture and reference sites. Using stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur and metals analyses, I will examine whether there is uptake of these elements into the species near salmon pens.
This research will advance our understanding of the potential impacts of salmon aquaculture on nearby environments and aid in future management plans for fisheries in the Bay of Fundy. This includes understanding the impact of aquaculture on lobster and whether or not it is beneficial or detrimental for the iconic crustacean.
BSc Biology, McGill University
Contact: jfischer(a)unb.ca
Research: "Uptake of nutrients and metals from salmon aquaculture into benthos in the Bay of Fundy"
Aquaculture has been present in the Bay of Fundy for over 30 years and it is a large part
of the New Brunswick economy. However, inputs of nutrients and contaminants from feed, salmon byproducts and antifouling agents on nets may be having negative impacts on the benthic communities surrounding these farms. It is not clear whether nearby invertebrates, including lobster, incorporate these wastes into their tissues.
This is why, over the next two years, I plan on collecting three invertebrate species, each with a different feeding strategy, using artificial substrates and sediments from aquaculture and reference sites. Using stable isotopes of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur and metals analyses, I will examine whether there is uptake of these elements into the species near salmon pens.
This research will advance our understanding of the potential impacts of salmon aquaculture on nearby environments and aid in future management plans for fisheries in the Bay of Fundy. This includes understanding the impact of aquaculture on lobster and whether or not it is beneficial or detrimental for the iconic crustacean.
Shawn Kroetsch, MSc candidate
BSc Biology, University of New Brunswick Saint John
Contact: shawn.kroetsch(a)unb.ca
Research: “Investigating the effects of habitat and functional feeding type on the composition of the gut microbiota of freshwater aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Saint John River, New Brunswick.”
The collections of bacteria that inhabit the digestive tracts of living organisms, known as the gut microbiota, provide several beneficial functions to their hosts. When the identity of these bacteria becomes altered significantly, for reasons not yet understood in aquatic macroinvertebrates, the beneficial services cease to be provided to the host. Currently, little information is known regarding how habitat type and functional feeding type impact the composition of the gut microbiota of aquatic macroinvertebrates.
For my project, I will be sampling several taxa of aquatic macroinvertebrates from various habitats in the Saint John River, New Brunswick. The gut microbiota of these organisms will be characterized using next-generation genetic sequencing techniques in order to establish how the composition of the gut microbiota changes based on differing habitat and functional feeding type.
Since the study of the aquatic macroinvertebrate gut microbiota is relatively new and underexplored, this project will reveal details about the associations that these organisms share with bacteria, which will aid in establishing a baseline of natural variability. It is essential to determine this information before these techniques can be used to assess human impacts and provide better management and conservation practices within aquatic habitats.
BSc Biology, University of New Brunswick Saint John
Contact: shawn.kroetsch(a)unb.ca
Research: “Investigating the effects of habitat and functional feeding type on the composition of the gut microbiota of freshwater aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Saint John River, New Brunswick.”
The collections of bacteria that inhabit the digestive tracts of living organisms, known as the gut microbiota, provide several beneficial functions to their hosts. When the identity of these bacteria becomes altered significantly, for reasons not yet understood in aquatic macroinvertebrates, the beneficial services cease to be provided to the host. Currently, little information is known regarding how habitat type and functional feeding type impact the composition of the gut microbiota of aquatic macroinvertebrates.
For my project, I will be sampling several taxa of aquatic macroinvertebrates from various habitats in the Saint John River, New Brunswick. The gut microbiota of these organisms will be characterized using next-generation genetic sequencing techniques in order to establish how the composition of the gut microbiota changes based on differing habitat and functional feeding type.
Since the study of the aquatic macroinvertebrate gut microbiota is relatively new and underexplored, this project will reveal details about the associations that these organisms share with bacteria, which will aid in establishing a baseline of natural variability. It is essential to determine this information before these techniques can be used to assess human impacts and provide better management and conservation practices within aquatic habitats.
Carson White, MSc candidate
BSc Natural Resources Conservation, University of British Columbia
Contact: carson.f.white(a)gmail.com
Research: "Cumulative effects of forest management on fish communities in northern New Brunswick"
Forest management is an important contributor to the economy of New Brunswick, but can have implications on ecosystem health. Changes to hydrologic processes, energy cycling and habitat structure can have effects on the aquatic communities. Best management practices in forestry have been largely effective in minimizing historical impacts to headwater streams, but large-scale effects are less known.
For my project, I will be looking at how cumulative downstream effects from forest management are expressed in fish communities draining harvested catchments. I will be using a fish condition factor (weight-length ratio) to examine potential differences in fish health between intensive and extensive forest management.
The effects of forest management on headwater streams is well studied and reasonably predictable, but less is known about the effects on downstream habitats. Do headwater effects accumulate throughout the system and have measurable downstream impacts or do they dissipate with increasing stream size? The results from this research project will be important in identifying catchment scale impacts from forest management.
BSc Natural Resources Conservation, University of British Columbia
Contact: carson.f.white(a)gmail.com
Research: "Cumulative effects of forest management on fish communities in northern New Brunswick"
Forest management is an important contributor to the economy of New Brunswick, but can have implications on ecosystem health. Changes to hydrologic processes, energy cycling and habitat structure can have effects on the aquatic communities. Best management practices in forestry have been largely effective in minimizing historical impacts to headwater streams, but large-scale effects are less known.
For my project, I will be looking at how cumulative downstream effects from forest management are expressed in fish communities draining harvested catchments. I will be using a fish condition factor (weight-length ratio) to examine potential differences in fish health between intensive and extensive forest management.
The effects of forest management on headwater streams is well studied and reasonably predictable, but less is known about the effects on downstream habitats. Do headwater effects accumulate throughout the system and have measurable downstream impacts or do they dissipate with increasing stream size? The results from this research project will be important in identifying catchment scale impacts from forest management.
