William D. Taylor

Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Aquatic Ecology and Limnology

William Taylor. William Taylor's research interests cross over several areas of aquatic ecology, including nutrient cycles, the fate of aquatic bacteria, the ecology of protozoa, and human effects on water quality. His most recent research concerns the freshwater phosphorus cycle.

Professor Taylor retired from academia and as Department Chair in September 2016.

Contact information
Email: wdtaylor@uwaterloo.ca

Expertise

Limnology, including aquatic food webs and nutrient cycles
Eutrophication and other human effects on water quality
Phosphorus and the freshwater phosphorus cycle

Research

Investigating the fresh water phosphorus cycle and the role and fate of bacteria in freshwater environments improves our understanding of eutrophication and of pathogens found in surface waters used for drinking.

Eutrophication, the pollution of surface waters by excess nutrients, is a pervasive threat to freshwater and coastal ecosystems worldwide. In Canada, eutrophication negatively affects the environment, human health, and the economy.

Phosphorus is the nutrient primarily responsible for eutrophication, and it also has several properties that make it a useful currency for studying the structure and dynamics of freshwater ecosystems and the impact of other environmental stresses.

Professor Taylor's research has aspired to address important gaps in our knowledge of the freshwater phosphorus cycle, including the nature and dynamics of dissolved organic phosphorus compounds, and factors affecting the total phosphorus concentration in lakes. His lab has examined the fate of phosphorus and bacteria added to rivers from sources such as agriculture, the processes that are responsible for the their removal, and how these processes influence water quality in rivers.

More recently, he has focused on the human impact on lakes and rivers through changes in freshwater nutrient cycles and in the fate of bacteria, including pathogens.

Professor Taylos has conducted research in the Laurentian Great Lakes, with Ontario Ministry of the Environment; small lakes of the Canadian Shield through OMOE's Dorset Environmental Science Centre; the Grand River, including partnership with the Grand River Conservation Authority; and East African Lakes, with collaborators in several countries.

Highlighted Publications

Highly cited publications over Professor Taylor's career include:

RE Hecky, REH Smith, DR Barton, SJ Guildford, WD Taylor, MN Charlton, T Howell. The nearshore phosphorus shunt: a consequence of ecosystem engineering by dreissenids in the Laurentian Great Lakes. 2004. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, 61(7): 1285-1293, DOI: 10.1139/f04-065.
DR Barton, WD Taylor, and R M Biette. Dimensions of riparian buffer strips required to maintain trout habitat in southern Ontario streams. 1985. North American Journal of Fisheries Management, 5(3A):364-378, DOI: 10.1577/1548-8659(1985)5<364:DORBSR>2.0.CO;2.
JJ Hudson, WD Taylor, DW Schindler.Phosphate concentrations in lakes. 2000. Nature 406: 54-56. DOI:10.1038/35017531.
A Mazumder, WD Taylor, DJ McQueen, DRS Lean. Effects of fish and plankton on lake temperature and mixing depth. 1990. Science, 247: 312-315.
GM Carr, HC Duthie, WD Taylor. Models of aquatic plant productivity: a review of the factors that influence growth. 1997. Aquatic Botany, 59(3-4): 195–215. doi:10.1016/S0304-3770(97)00071-5.

Please see William Taylor's Google Scholar profile for a complete list of his peer-reviewed articles.

Awards and Distinctions

2018 Lifetime Achievement Award, International Association for Great Lakes Research
2016 Frank Rigler Award, Society of Canadian Limnologists
2015 Distinguished Professor Emeritus
2013, Career Achievement Award, Canadian Council of University Biology Chairs
2003-2010 Canada Research Chair
1993 Chandler-Misener Award, with D.R.S. Lean and A. Mazumder, International Association for Great Lakes Research.