Temporal organic matter dynamics in anthropogenically-impacted stream ecosystems
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3472-4600 : Shayenna Nolan
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3570-3588 : Dr. Catherine Febria
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Media/Film Presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Catherine Febria
Proposal
Stream ecosystems are heavily influenced by the landscapes that surround them. The input of organic matter from terrestrial and aquatic sources sustains stream ecosystems by providing a base energy source for food webs. When landscapes are changed by human activities (e.g., urbanization, agricultural intensification), critical ecosystem functions such as nutrient processing are altered, and the composition of nutrients available. Explorations into these processes provide valuable insights into trophic energy flows and carbon cycling in streams, particularly in the face of climate change. This study seeks to advance knowledge on the ecosystem ecology of human-impacted streams by addressing a critical knowledge gap on organic matter processing rates and carbon dynamics in streams across an anthropogenic disturbance gradient. Situated in the Windsor-Essex region of southwestern Ontario, Canada, the stream ecosystems in this study (n=7) are impacted from both urbanized and agricultural land uses. Using standardized cotton-strip assays to measure carbon processing rates (i.e., decomposition) and fluorometric methods to characterize molecular carbon structure, I characterized monthly shifts to test whether anthropogenic sites behave in a similar way. Results from this work have generated a novel baseline dataset that encompasses temporal drivers of decomposition rates along with molecular carbon characterization across a land-use gradient. In temperate regions such as the Laurentian Great Lakes basin, human impacts on freshwater ecosystem processes are complex and representative of ecosystems globally. Disentangling drivers of variability on ecosystem functions in contemporary contexts is therefore critical to advance understanding of ecosystem ecology on local and global scales and inform effective management and restoration.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Special Considerations
Presenter: Shayenna Nolan
My video will be similar to an oral research presentation, and will include narration and original filmmaking of the research being presented.
Temporal organic matter dynamics in anthropogenically-impacted stream ecosystems
Stream ecosystems are heavily influenced by the landscapes that surround them. The input of organic matter from terrestrial and aquatic sources sustains stream ecosystems by providing a base energy source for food webs. When landscapes are changed by human activities (e.g., urbanization, agricultural intensification), critical ecosystem functions such as nutrient processing are altered, and the composition of nutrients available. Explorations into these processes provide valuable insights into trophic energy flows and carbon cycling in streams, particularly in the face of climate change. This study seeks to advance knowledge on the ecosystem ecology of human-impacted streams by addressing a critical knowledge gap on organic matter processing rates and carbon dynamics in streams across an anthropogenic disturbance gradient. Situated in the Windsor-Essex region of southwestern Ontario, Canada, the stream ecosystems in this study (n=7) are impacted from both urbanized and agricultural land uses. Using standardized cotton-strip assays to measure carbon processing rates (i.e., decomposition) and fluorometric methods to characterize molecular carbon structure, I characterized monthly shifts to test whether anthropogenic sites behave in a similar way. Results from this work have generated a novel baseline dataset that encompasses temporal drivers of decomposition rates along with molecular carbon characterization across a land-use gradient. In temperate regions such as the Laurentian Great Lakes basin, human impacts on freshwater ecosystem processes are complex and representative of ecosystems globally. Disentangling drivers of variability on ecosystem functions in contemporary contexts is therefore critical to advance understanding of ecosystem ecology on local and global scales and inform effective management and restoration.