Graduate Students
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VICTORIA VAN MIERLO
Environmental mediation of the establishment
and impact of invasive crayfishes.

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My PhD research examines environmental factors
that influence the abundance and impact of
aquatic invasive species, using crayfish as a
model organism. Overall, I am applying
hypotheses and concepts in invasion ecology to
understand context dependencies, and I am
working with two invasive crayfishes. My
specific objectives are to 1) predict the
colonization and potential impacts of the
marbled crayfish in the Great Lakes basin, and
2) relate the occurrence and local abundance of
the spinycheek crayfish to environmental
variables in the upper St. Lawrence River.
Previously, for my MSc I worked on occupancy
models for the virile crayfish invading the
North Saskatchewan River basin and the potential
interactions between invasive crayfish and
native fishes using stable isotopes.
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IVANA KOMENDIC
Factors affecting the impact of invasive
mussels in spatially heterogeneous
environments.

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For my Ph.D. research, I am investigating
zebra mussel invasions of two Quebec lakes, L.
Memphremagog and L. Témiscouata, both of which
are in early to mid stages of invasion and
present unique environmental conditions (e.g.,
suboptimal calcium concentrations). I am testing
empirical models of population abundance as well
as the ecological impacts of zebra mussels in
these lakes. More specifically I am examining
impacts on native unionid mussels. Lastly, I
will conduct a risk assessment of zebra mussel
colonization and impact potential in lakes.
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EMMA SCHUBERT
Direct and indirect effects of goldfish
invasions on pond ecosystems.

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For my MSc research, I will be focusing on the
invasive common goldfish (Carassius auratus)
and its effects on turbidity, temperature, and
benthic algal growth in urban and natural pond
environments. Due to their benthic foraging
behaviour, goldfish are known to increase the
turbidity (suspended sediments) of aquatic
environments. This has negative effects on the
local ecosystem. I will be conducting an outdoor
mesocosm study at the Gault Nature Reserve using
a variety of densities of goldfish to determine
the possible effects of goldfish density on
three pond ecosystem characteristics. This
research will explore the possible future
impacts of goldfish on freshwater ecosystems at
risk of invasion, as well as quantify their
current impacts on invaded ponds.
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TY COLVIN
Temporal changes in biodiversity of St.
Lawrence River benthic invertebrate
communities.

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For my Ph.D. research, I am
investigating patterns of benthic invertebrate
biodiversity change in the St. Lawrence River
over the past 40 years and relating
spatiotemporal changes in benthic communities to
different species invasions and climate warming
thresholds. To this end, I am comparing modern
benthic communities along the river to long-term
historical community data and relating
biodiversity change to the establishment and
spread of specific invasive species. I am also
conducting field experiments to test hypotheses
on the role of different invaders in influencing
benthic communities, particularly invasive
gobiid fishes, dreissenid mussels, and their
interactions.
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KATE STOREY
Comparing the functional response of wild and
cultivated goldfish populations.

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My research focuses on the common
goldfish (Carassius auratus), a
longstanding member of the aquarium trade that
has made its way into native waterways across
Canada. I aim to determine the relative risks of
impact of three goldfish populations; those
collected from wild ponds, those collected from
urban ponds, and those sourced from a pet store.
I will examine the feeding behaviour of these
populations through functional response
experiments using complex habitat and live prey
to determine the predation and cognitive ability
of these populations and whether it has changed
under wild stressors. These experiments will be
run at current mean summer temperature as well
as predicted mean maximum summer temperature of
the Great Lakes region, to assess different
populations adaptations to seasonality and
future impact under climate change.
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BRIELLE COMARTIN
Impacts of zebra mussel invasion on native
freshwater mussels in a Quebec lake.

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With collaborators from the Quebec
Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs,
I investigated the impacts of zebra mussel (Dreissena
polymorpha) invasion on native unionid
mussels in Lake Memphrémagog, southeastern
Québec. For my MSc research, I examined the role
of biofouling by zebra mussels on unionids in
Memphrémagog in population collapse, and whether
these events are predictable. This lake allowed
me to study the effects of zebra mussels under
relatively low calcium concentrations
(<20mg/L), which can limit zebra mussel
abundance, and compare these effects to those
documented in calcium-rich environments. The
results can be used to develop enhanced risk
assessment tools for predicting zebra mussel
impacts on native biodiversity. After having
completed my MSc, I am now lab manager for the
Ricciardi Lab.
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