Supervised with Mike van den Heuvel
University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI)
Project:
Cumulative effects and assessment of agricultural nutrients and pesticides on coastal Gammarus spp. (Amphipoda: Gammaridae) and brackish faunal assemblages.
Research Interest:
Much of my research focuses on a broad question in ecology: Why do we find a species or groups of species in one place and not another? This line of the investigation is entangled with species interactions, environmental conditions, and anthropogenic influences. Thus, I am interested in the role environmental factors play in structuring animal and plant assemblages across multiple habitats. Most of my research has focused on ecology and biodiversity; especially that of invertebrates (mainly arthropods) in soil, terrestrial, freshwater, and brackish water systems. Though, my main interest is in the community ecology of open inland waters, such as springs, rivers, wetlands, and estuaries.
My Ph.D. project is examining the environmental factors that govern the abundance, diversity and location of aquatic amphipods and insects in estuaries of the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence. Specifically, how natural variability and contaminants from agricultural sources (e.g., pesticides and excess nutrients) impact arthropod populations and community structures. My thesis is examining if agricultural pollutants have an effect on many estuary amphipod and insect species parameters and if that effect is driven by direct exposure, habitat differences, or a combination of both.