• Sunrise over the Apostle Islands, Lake Superior

    Variation in trophic ecology in Lake Superior

    Food web ecology Bioenergetics

    Lake Superior is one of the largest lakes in the world. While it can often be considered a homogeneous entity, in reality there is tremendous variation in the types of aquatic ecosystems it supports, and yet very little is known about how this variation affects rates of energy flow and the sources of energy among […]

  • Woman performing surgery on a fish

    Fish movement ecology and habitat use

    Movement ecology

    It is becoming apparent that activity, movement and habitat use are a major component of fish life histories, but are rarely accounted for when considering life history relationships and tradeoffs generally. The walleye population in Black Bay, Lake Superior, crashed in the mid-1960’s and has only shown signs of recovery within the past decade. To […]

  • Fish in shallow water of a lake

    Predictors of fish productivity in boreal lakes

    Food web ecology

    We are using historical data form IISD-ELA on lakes that have undergone disturbance, as well as lakes with gradients of productivity to evaluate correlates and drivers of fish productivity. This is part of a larger effort involving researchers from the IISD-ELA,  University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Manitoba.   Haley Macleod is […]

  • Fish on a measuring board

    A SHRRIMP story: Ecosystem restoration through Mysis recolonization

    Food web ecology Bioenergetics Movement ecology Contaminants

    At the IISD-ELA, we have initiated SHRRIMP; the Stenotherm Habitat Restoration through RecolonIzation of Mysis Project. The freshwater shrimp, Mysis diluvania,  occupies many deep, stratified inland lakes on the boreal shield. It is a glacial relict species, and widely considered to be a “keystone” ecological species with regards to it’s effects in shaping zooplankton communities […]

  • Boats tied to a dock on a lake in the mist during sunrise

    Ecosystem-level effects of nanosilver release

    Contaminants Bioenergetics Food web ecology

    Nanosilver is an emerging contaminant with broad potential for environmental release; it is an antimicrobial that is in many, many consumer products and is easily released into wastewater streams through laundry (it’s in clothes, washing machines and detergents). It is clear that nanosilver acts differently on organisms than elemental silver, suggesting that a different set […]

  • arial photo of Lake Simcoe

    Impacts of invasive species on aquatic food web structure

    Food web ecology Bioenergetics

    Recent investigations have demonstrated that invasive species (driessenids, Bythotrephes) can have potentially negative impacts on the growth of percid fishes in Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes. Current research is investigating the impacts of spiny water flea invasion on the growth and contaminant accumulation patterns of Walleye in Quetico Park, with generous support from the Quetico Foundation. […]