9:00 am - 10:00 am
Event details: A graduate exam seminar is a presentation of the student’s final research project for their degree.
This is an ALES MSc Final Exam Seminar by Megan Edgar. This seminar is open to the general public to attend.
Remote URL: meet.google.com/fgi-wtnm-cvq
MSc with Dr. Mark Poesch.
Thesis Topic: The Introduction of Chinese Mystery Snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis) and Trophic Effects of Sympatric Freshwater Invaders in Southern Alberta Reservoirs
Abstract:
The introduction of invasive species is one of the most pervasive risks to freshwater ecosystems. Once invasive species are established, they can have complex impacts on ecosystems and often have implications for local economies. Two invasive species potentially impacting freshwater ecosystems in Alberta are the Chinese mystery snail (Cipangopaludina chinensis) and Northern crayfish (Faxonius virilis). The increasing rates of introduction of non-native species have compounded our need to understand the complex nature of interactions in food webs where non-native species exist together. My thesis aimed to document the first introduction of the Chinese mystery snail in Alberta and investigate the interaction between this species and Northern crayfish in Southern Alberta reservoir systems and how they may be impacting the food webs in these systems through the use of stable isotope analysis. These works provide valuable insight into how food webs may change with multiple invasives present, where data was previously lacking.
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