Welcome to the Waterloo Wetland Laboratory
The focus of our lab is on aquatic ecology, restoration ecology, and landscape ecology. We look at the relationships between plants, invertebrates, and birds with their abiotic environment; both in terms of ecosystem properties and processes. In particular, we focus on the response of these biotic communities and their environmental correlates to human disturbance.
We are recruiting talented, bright, hard-working, self-motivated students with solid communication skills. If this describes you and you are interested in the type of research questions we address, please look at our Biology Department program requirements and contact Dr. Rooney: rrooney(at)uwaterloo.ca
The Waterloo Wetland Laboratory members acknowledge that we live and work on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg and Haudenosaunee peoples. The University of Waterloo is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land promised to the Six Nations that includes ten kilometres on each side of the Grand River.
News
New article featuring work done by the WWL
Work completed by the Waterloo Wetland Lab has been featured in the latest issue of the International Association for Great Lakes Research (IAGLR)'s LAKES Letters. Their Winter 2025 issue is centred around science and hope, showcasing success stories from research completed in the Great Lakes. WWL's work on several Phragmites australis research projects is highlighted in the issue, and emphasizes the importance of collaboration among project partners. The article titled "Biodiversity after a Phragmites invasion: A case study of success through close collaboration" is available online via the IAGLR website.
New publication on pesticide sampling approaches in urban stormwater
Waterloo Wetland Lab PhD Candidate Gab Izma, alum Danny McIsaac, Dr. Rebecca Rooney, and colleagues have co-authored a newly-published paper on pesticide sampling approaches in urban stormwater. The article, titled "Three Complementary Sampling Approaches Provide Comprehensive Characterization of Pesticide Contamination in Urban Stormwater" is published in Urban Science, and is available online via open access.
Ontario Phragmites Working Group Presentations Available Online
The presentations from the 2025 Ontario Phragmites Working Group (OPWG) Conference are now available online.