Annual Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem Symposium - Watersheds, Water Levels, and Wetlands - River Institute
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26 th Annual Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem Symposium Watersheds, Water Levels, and Wetlands MAY 29&30 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ON
th 26 Annual Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem Symposium Thanking you for your support! MAY 29&30, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ON
The River Institute is celebrating 25 years! 1994-2019 (a few throwback moments) MAY 29, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ON
MAY 29, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ON
GREAT RIVER
Community
Science Day
(Morning only)
Join us from 9 am to 12 pm
Exhibitors
Interactive nature stations
Fish and river groups
Traditional Ecological Knowledge
and a special presentation at
10:00 am
Keynote speaker,
Elizabeth Hendriks,
Vice President
World Wildlife Fund
MAY 29, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ON
May 29, 2019
Keynote Speaker:
Elizabeth Hendriks,
Vice President
World Wildlife Fund- Canada
Freshwater + Humans – Now and
into the Future.
BIOGRAPHY
Elizabeth Hendriks is Vice-President of the National Freshwater Programme at
WWF-Canada, one of Canada’s oldest conservation organizations. She has fifteen
years of experience working nationally and internationally on water policy and last
year, she led the release of the first national assessment of the health and stressors of
Canada’s freshwater. With her team she is now working to reverse the decline of
freshwater ecosystems across the country with the intersection of policy,
technology, and community building. She received her BA in International
Development from Dalhousie University and her Masters from the University of
Waterloo.
MAY 30, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ON
May 30, 2019
Keynote Speaker:
Henry Lickers,
Mohawk Council of
Akwesasne
Why Would Any Want to Buy
Wetlands?
BIOGRAPHY
Henry Lickers is a member of Seneca Nation, Turtle Clan. He has been the Director of
the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, Department of the Environment for the past 32
years and is now the Environmental Science Officer. He has been principle
investigator on the EAGLE ( Effect on Aboriginal in the Great Lakes Environment )
Project and the Naturalized Knowledge Systems Project and the First Nations’
Community Health Indicators Project. Henry has been Director Ontario Professional
Foresters Association, Scientific Co-Chair of The Haudenosaunee Environmental
Taskforce, Vice President of the Board of Directors, St. Lawrence River Institute of
Environmental Sciences and a member of the Board of Directors for the Eastern
Ontario Model Forest.
GREAT RIVER Community Science Day Exhibitors Cornwall & Area Birding Club SD&G Ontario Woodlot Association Cooper Marsh Conservators Mohawk Council of Akwesasne Environment Program ALUS Program Raisin Region Conservation Authority South Nation Conservation Ontario Power Generation Muskies Canada World Wildlife Foundation River Institute Great River Network Blue Fish Canada MAY 29, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ON
MAY 29, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ON
GREAT RIVER
Special Data
Workshop
Afternoon
Great River Rapport
Science /Data Workshop
1:00 pm to 4:00 pm
The River Institute will host a Science/Data
workshop for all scientists and data holders for
the Upper St Lawrence River region (from Cape
Vincent/Kingston to Lake St Francis). The
workshop is intended to produce a summary of
the ecological research data sets that exist for
the region and to identify representative
ecological indicators for The Great River
Rapport.
Coordinated by
Dr. Leigh McGaughey, River Institute
Please contact Leigh if you are interested in
attending. lmcgaughey@riverinstitute.ca
MAY 30, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ON
MAY 30- MORNING SCHEDULE
th
26
Annual Symposium of the
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem
Main Hall - Morning
9:00 am- Traditional Opening - Scott Peter, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne
9:15 am- Welcome - Jeff Ridal, Executive Director, River Institute
9:20 am- Panel Discussion: Chaired by Patricia O'Hara & Dale Phippen, Great
River Network
Shoreline Erosion on the St. Lawrence River A Community Perspective
Chris Moran, Great River Network
Marc Hudon, Canadian Section Lake Ontario-St. Lawrence River Board IJC
Scott Peters, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne
10:15 am- Q & A
10:30 am- Break
10:50 am- Keynote Speaker: Henry Lickers, Mohawk Council of Akwesasne
Why would anyone want to buy Wetlands?
11:30 am- Plenary Speaker: Matt Windle, River Institute
Water levels and ecosystem health of the St. Lawrence River
12:00 pm- Buffet Lunch
MAY30- AFTERNOON SCHEDULE
th
26
Annual Symposium of the
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem
Main Hall Observation Deck (downstairs)
Wetland Matters – A St. Lawrence River Focus Ecological Indicators: Tools for Assessing
Chaired by Evie Brahmstedt, Clarkson Ecosystem Health. Chaired by Leigh McGaughey,
University Great River Center. River Institute.
1:00 pm- Evie Brahmstedt, Clarkson University 1:00 pm- Sandra Mancini & Ronda Boutz, South
Cattail (Typha angustifolia) Biomass Mercury Nation Conservation Authority
Content in a St. Lawrence River Wetland Flood Risk Management for the St Lawrence River.
1:20 pm- Brian Hickey, River Institute, 1:20 pm- Brendon Jacobs, Raisin Region
Bats, Mercury and Wetlands. Conservation Authority
Indicators of Watershed Health - The Good, The Bad,
1:40 pm- Robin Poole, Cooper Marsh and The Ugly.
Conservators
Long Term Infrastructure and Habitat Conservation 1:40 pm- Alexa D'Addario, Carlton University
at Cooper Marsh. Microplastic Ingestion by Aquatic Invertebrates.
2:00 pm- Bailey Bedard, River Institute 2:00 pm- Paul Parete, Great Lakes Ecosystem
Draw Down Impacts on Plant Communities of the Management Section.
Diked Wetland of Cooper Marsh Conservation Area. Bringing together the Lake Ontario Lakewide Action
and Management Plan 101
2:20 pm- Break
MAY 30, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ONMAY 30- AFTERNOON SCHEDULE
th
26
Annual Symposium of the
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem
Main Hall Observation Deck
St Lawrence River Water Quality: Diversity, Trends and Threats to Fish in Coastal
Contaminant Sources and their Impacts Wetlands of the St. Lawrence River
Chaired by Jeff Ridal, River Institute. Chaired by Cristina Charette & Matt Windle
River Institute.
D
2:40
L LE Save The River /
- Patricia Shulenburg,
-----pm- 2:40 pm- Louis Astorg, UQAM Montreal
Upper St. Lawrece C E
Riverkeeper - River Keeper Macro and Micro Refuges in Invaded Ecosystem
N
CA on Pollution and Algal Blooms.
Program Report Lowering Invasion Impacts.
2:40 pm Amine Mimouni, River Institute 3:00 pm- Sunci Avlijas, McGill University
The REASON project. The Eurasian Tench (Tinca tinca) in the St. Lawrence
River: Current Status and Future Threats.
3:00 pm- Katherine Moir, Queen's University
Are Nutrients Driving Cyanobacterial Success? A 3:20 pm- Josh,Van Wieren, Parks Canada
Paleolimnological Assessment of Recent Changes to Near-shore Fish Community Monitoring in
Algal Community Structure in Lake St. Francis. Thousand Islands National Park and the Canadian
Thousand Islands.
3:20 pm-Mary Ann Perron, University of Ottawa
Water Quality Effects on Odonata: A 3:40 pm- Kate Schwartz, River Institute
Comparison of Urban vs. Natural Ponds Diversity and Trends of Fish Assemblages in Coastal
Wetlands of the St. Lawrence River.
4:00 pm- Traditional Closing
MAY 30, 2019 • OPG VISITOR CENTER • CORNWALL, ONth
26
Annual Symposium of the
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem
May 30th, 2019 9:20am
PANEL SPEAKER Marc Hudon
Mr. Hudon is semi-retired working on environmental
compliance or communities-industries relationships in the
Saguenay region. He Chairs the Water Commission at
Nature Quebec (2004) involved on transboundary water
issues. He is president of the Regional Advisory Council on
Marine Oil spills-Quebec region (1995-). Marc is a member
of the Canadian section of the Lake Ontario-St.
Lawrence River Board under the IJC (2014-). Marc is a
member of the Forum for Leadership on Water (FLOW). He
was chair of Stratégies Saint-Laurent (1993-2003), a NGO
within the Quebec federal-provincial St-Lawrence River
Plan mandated to set up and support the “Area of prime
concern” commonly called ZIP committees along the
shoreline communities of the St- Lawrence River.
Marc is a founding member of the federal-provincial
Consultation committee on commercial navigation 1997)
and the president of the ZIP Saguenay-Charlevoix (1991)
May 30th, 2019 9:20am
PANEL SPEAKER Scott Peters, MCA Environmental Assessment Officer
Scott is an Environmental Assessment Officer as well as an
Emergency Manager ( Alternate) with the Mohawk Council
of Akwesasne for the past 10 years. And an environmental
field technician for the past 17 years at Akwesasne.
MAY 30, 2019 • MAIN HALL • OPG VISITOR CENTERth
26
Annual Symposium of the
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem
May 30th, 2019 9:20 am
PANEL SPEAKER Chris Moran, Great River Network
Chris is a Certified Engineering Technologist and is retired
from the Engineering Design Group at Hydro Ottawa.
Following retirement Chris has worked in smart metering
as well as managing the construction of a number of solar
powered electrical generation projects totalling 125
megawatts.
He is a former member of the Canadian Standards
Association Technical Advisory Committee for Overhead &
Underground Power Systems, a former member of the
Municipal Electrical Association Technical Advisory
Committee for Roadway Lighting, a member of several
Utility Coordination Committees at the City of Ottawa and
has worked extensively in the development of Standards at
Hydro Ottawa. He was recently employed by Hydro
Ottawa to teach Underground Power Distribution.
Chris is a current and long time member of the Advisory
Committee for the Electrical Engineering Technician &
Technologist Program at Algonquin College, Treasurer for
the 115th Ottawa Scout Group & a long time resident of
the of the shores of the St Lawrence River. He is a member
of the Great River Network, their project lead for shoreline
erosion & a friend of the Great River.
MAY 30, 2019 • MAIN HALL • OPG VISITOR CENTERth
26
Annual Symposium of the
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem
May 30, 2019 11:30 am
PLENARY SPEAKER Matt Windle, Biologist, River Institute
Water Levels and Ecosystem Health of
St. Lawrence River
Matt Windle has been an Aquatic Biologist with the River
Institute for the past five years. In that time he has led
research projects focusing on the ecological health of the
St. Lawrence River, including studies of American eels,
nearshore fish communities, contaminated sediments,
and coastal wetlands. Additionally, Matt is a certified
drone pilot and has been developing the use of this
emerging technology at the Institute. He also leads
instruction for several courses in the Environmental
Technician Program at St. Lawrence College in Cornwall,
focused on freshwater ecology and geographic
information systems technology. Matt received his B.Sc.
in Environment Science from Queen’s University and his
M.Sc. in Biology from Memorial University.
MAY 30, 2019 • MAIN HALL • OPG VISITOR CENTERth
26
Annual Symposium of the
Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River Ecosystem
ABSTRACTS
Wetland Matters - A St. Lawrence River Focus
Cattail (Typha angustifolia) Biomass Mercury Content in a St. Lawrence River Wetland
Evie S. Brahmstedt1, Carla N. Ayala Crespo2, Thomas M. Holsen1, & Michael R. Twiss1
1Clarkson University, Potsdam, New York, USA
2University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Over the past 60 years, atmospheric mercury has deposited in the St. Lawrence River (SLR) watershed during the same
period in which water levels remained stable in the Upper SLR. Mercury is known to be a potent toxin to wildlife and
humans due to various neurological and reproductive system impacts. Plan 2014, a new water level management plan, was
recently implemented in January 2017 to more closely simulate natural water level fluctuations. The new plan is meant
restore Upper SLR riparian wetlands to their natural conditions by pushing back monotypic Typha spp., the current
dominating vegetation that has reduced fish habitat by outcompeting wetland meadow vegetation and submerged aquatic
vegetation. Fluctuating water levels are expected to reduce emergent vegetation by 29%. Typha spp. have been shown
elsewhere to bioaccumulate Hg. Here, the ability for Typha angustifolia in a protected embayment in Coles Creek State
Park to bioaccumulate Hg was assessed to estimate the risk for potential Hg mobilization. The bioconcentration factor
between hydric soil and T. angustifolia roots was (1.61 � 1.46) and the translocation factor between roots and leaves was
0.22 � 0.12, indicating the majority of Hg in accumulates in T. angustifolia roots at concentrations slightly greater than in
the hydric soil, while little Hg accumulates in the above ground organs. The contribution of T. angustifolia and hydric soil to
the total Hg in the wetland and the 29% loss throughout the upper SLR will be reported in terms of total Hg.
Evie Brahmstedt
Clarkson University
brahmses@clarkson.edu
Bats, Mercury and Wetlands
Brian Hickey
Several recent studies have found that fur of bats have elevated mercury concentrations, often exceeding 10 ppm, the
threshold known to cause measurable learning deficits in humans. In a comparison of mercury in the fur of bats across
Canada Chételat et al. (2018) found that mercury concentrations reflected cross-Canada variation in atmospheric
deposition rates. While these results explain why eastern and western populations of bats are more contaminated that
bats from central (prairie) regions of Canada, we still cannot explain why bats have concentrations of mercury that are
disproportionally high compared to their trophic positions. We propose several testable hypotheses to explain the elevated
mercury concentrations in insectivorous bats.
M. Brian C. Hickey and Bailey Bedard
River Institute.
bhickey@riverinstitute.ca
MAY 30, 2019 • MAIN HALL • OPG VISITOR CENTERABSTRACTS Wetland Matters - A St. Lawrence River Focus Infrastructure and Habitat Conservation at Cooper Marsh Cooper Marsh is a 517 hectare man-made grade I listed provincially significant wetland located in Summerstown on the north shore of Lake St. Francis, 18 km. east of Cornwall. Established in the 1980s, it is owned by the Raisin Region Conservation Authority (RRCA). It serves as a major site for nesting and migratory wetland birds and is home to diverse populations of turtles and amphibians. With an excellent visitors centre, it offers important educational programs for local schools, colleges and Day Camps run by the River Institute, Cornwall and RRCA. By the early 2000s the habitat in the Main Marsh became degraded with loss of almost all open water, mainly as a result of cattail overgrowth: almost 1 km. of boardwalks were on the verge of closure as a result of progressive decay. The once diverse and rich wildlife had diminished as habitat deteriorated. To address the cattail overgrowth, RRCA initiated in 2011 a long term drawdown was initiated under guidance from Ducks Unlimited Canada. In 2012 the Cooper Marsh Conservators Inc., a conservation group of local volunteers, launched a fundraising program to rebuild the boardwalks and restore habitat. By 2014 the boardwalks were completely rebuilt. From 2014-2019, a series of cattail-resistant ponds and channels were constructed throughout the main marsh. The drawdown lasted 6 years and resulted in a major reduction of cattails and growth of new vegetation more supportive of breeding duck populations. Importantly larger and more diverse wetland bird and reptile populations have resulted from the conservation work as documented by Bird Studies Canada and the Cornwall and Area Birding Club. With these changes educational problems have been enriched and grown in size and excellence. Robin Poole PhD, DSc., Cooper Marsh Conservators Inc. Professor Emeritus, McGill University a.poole@mcgill.ca Drawdown Impacts on Plant Communities of Cooper Marsh Conservation Area A water level drawdown is a technique used in diked wetlands to decrease the susceptibility of being invaded by non-native plant species and increase the abundance and diversity of native species. A five-year drawdown project was put in place at Cooper Marsh Conservation Area with the goals of decreasing the abundance of invasive species, notably cattails and purple loosestrife, increasing native plant diversity and increasing the cover of open water. This presentation will discuss plant diversity, percent cover of cattails and purple loosestrife, and the percent cover of open water in plant surveys that were collected before and after the drawdown to determine if these goals actually resulted following the drawdown project. Bailey Bedard River Institute Summer Student / UOttawa bbeda075@uottawa.ca
ABSTRACTS Ecological Indicators: Tools for Assessing Ecosystem Health Flood Risk Management for the St. Lawrence River Sandra Mancini, Team Lead, Engineering Ronda Boutz, Team Lead, Special Projects St. Lawrence River Hazard Mapping Project. The St. Lawrence River region has seen increased storm events and water levels fluctuations from historically high to low. Storm events, coupled with storm/wind surges, lead to increased flooding and erosion hazards. Identifying the flood risk area, and vulnerable dwellings/infrastructure, is critical for effective emergency management and proactive development review. Municipalities and other organizations currently rely on decades old Environment Canada flood elevation points, no delineated 100-year flood extent line available. Precise topographical remote sensing data is essential to map flood extent, however, acquiring LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) to complete a risk assessment is often cost-prohibitive. A unique collaborative of twelve government and non- government agencies is undertaking a flood risk assessment along the St. Lawrence River (Augusta to South Stormont Township). With support from the National Disaster Mitigation Program, South Nation Conservation is partnering with all municipalities and both Upper-Tier Counties in this area, along with Ontario Power Generation, St. Lawrence Parks Commission, Ministry of Natural Resources, and Raisin Region Conservation Authority, to acquire LiDAR to map the 100- year flood extent. The project will also yield a much-needed database of properties within the flood risk area. Sandra Mancini, Team Lead, Engineering Ronda Boutz, Team Lead, Special Projects South Nation Conservation Authority Sandra Mancini SMancini@nation.on.ca Ronda Boutz RBoutz@nation.on.ca Indicators of Watershed Health - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Brendon Jacobs There are few things so integral to the life blood of a community as the health of their local watershed(s). These landscape features support not only the existence of our communities but also the natural world of which we so cherish. Be it mundane everyday activities, community development, agriculture, or industry we are all reliant on the environmental services our local watersheds provide. However, what if these watersheds were to degrade and loose their ability to provide essential services such as clean water, clean air, aesthetics, and sustainability (economic, social, ecological). How would we know? What would the indicators be? Despite locally driven restoration efforts, the legacy of historic as well as current developmental pressures continue to negatively impact our watersheds and their recovery remains slow. This presentation will explore various indicators of watershed health and relate them back to the overall health of our local watersheds and great St. Lawrence River. Brendon Jacobs Watershed Biologist Raisin Region Conservation Authority brendan.jacobs@rrca.on.ca
ABSTRACTS Ecological Indicators: Tools for Assessing Ecosystem Health Insidious: Microplastic Pollution in Ottawa Rivers Alexa D’Addario Microplastics are microscopic sized plastics, 5mm or less in length. Microplastics are produced directly for cleaning and cosmetic substances, and indirectly through the physical and chemical breakdown of larger plastic materials. These nearly invisible particles take 1000 years to fully decompose, and thus ultimately end up in our waterways. 150 invertebrates of classes Malacostraca and Bivalvia were collected from the Rideau River and 150 invertebrates of classes Malacostraca and Insecta were collected from the Ottawa River in the summer months of 2018. The individuals were dissected, their viscera submerged in 20 ml of 30% H2O2 for 48h in a hot water bath at 25°C. Fifteen blank samples were run through the same procedure as well as a control. The samples were then sieved in 30 µm mesh before analysis with a Leica compound microscope. Nearly every single individual had microplastics in it. There was significantly more plastic in individuals versus controls. Microplastic concentrations were not significantly correlated with taxon, weight or river however. Further analysis of smaller waterways and different taxa in the Ottawa area is needed to predict how many microplastics the public and other animals may be consuming. Alexa D’Addario Carlton University xoalexajetta@gmail.com Bringing together the Lake Ontario Lakewide Action and Management Plan 101 Paul Parete Environment and Climate Change Canada has developed a binational ecosystem-based action plan to restore and protect the water quality of Lake Ontario and its connecting river systems, the Niagara and St. Lawrence Rivers. Once commentary for the public has been integrated into the report, it will be the first Lake Ontario LAMP under the 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. The draft LAMP was developed by member agencies of the Lake Ontario Partnership, a collaborative team of natural resource managers led by the governments of the U.S. and Canada, in cooperation and consultation with State and Provincial Governments, Tribal Governments, and watershed management agencies committed to restoring and protecting Lake Ontario, the Niagara River and the St. Lawrence River. In preparing the Plan, the Lake Ontario Partnership also sought input from scientists, First Nations, Métis, stakeholders, non-governmental organizations and the general public. The report includes ecological indicators reflecting the state of Lake Ontario, binational strategies, management actions, science and monitoring priorities as well as implementation of the plan, which will be discussed. Paul Parete Great Lakes Ecosystem Management Section, Strategic Policy Branch Environment and Climate Change Canada / Government of Canada paul.parete@canada.ca
ABSTRACTS St Lawrence River Water Quality: Contaminant Sources and their Impacts Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper - River Keeper Program Report on Pollution and Algal Blooms Patricia Shulenburg Legacy, common, and emerging contaminants pose threats to water quality, human health, economics, and ecosystems. Storm water runoff, atmospheric deposition, combined sewage overflows, plastics, faulty septic systems, nutrient loading, invasive species, and other pollutants compromise the health of the St. Lawrence River. Save The River promotes best management practices and policies to ensure the river is protected for now and generations to come. Further, we work to engage our community in opportunities to observe, monitor and report pollution and contaminants through workshops, citizen science opportunities, volunteer trainings, and advocacy campaigns. Save The River actively monitors water quality and indicators of river health through a spectrum of programming, advocacy and research. This includes the Kingfisher Septic program, Beach Watch program, Common Tern Recovery program, Water Assessments by Volunteer Evaluators, and the Riverkeeper Volunteer program. We have further engaged our membership to support advocacy initiatives that promote water quality including the ban microbeads, the ban on plastic bags, support a variable water levels through Plan 2014, and push for better energy transport and spill response. Patricia Shulenburg Project Manager Save The River / Upper St. Lawrence Riverkeeper Patricia@savetheriver.org Are Nutrients Driving Cyanobacterial Success? A Paleolimnological Assessment of Recent Changes to Algal Community Structure in Lake St. Francis Katherine Moir Moir, K.E.1, Cumming, B.F.1, & Ridal, J.J.2 1Paleoecological Environmental Assessment and Research Laboratory, Queen’s University, Kingston, ON 2St. Lawrence River Institute of Environmental Sciences, Cornwall, ON Recent research suggests that there has been a substantial increase in cyanobacterial biomass in some areas of the St. Lawrence River (SLR) over the past 15 years, a concerning trend potentially driven by numerous factors. Although nutrient loads emanating from local tributaries are high in some regions, water-column total phosphorus concentrations appear not to have increased in recent years, suggesting that landscape-driven nutrient loads may not be the primary factor influencing algal community structure in this area. Other drivers, such as the presence of contaminants (e.g., metals) and climate- change impacts (e.g., warmer water temperatures) can also affect community composition, potentially favouring cyanobacteria over other groups of algae. A historical record of algal responses to these stressors is preserved in aquatic sediments, which can be examined for changes to community assemblages over time using paleolimnological methods. This study will examine how multiple stressors affect algal growth and community composition in the SLR, to clarify which factors are driving recent increases in cyanobacterial abundance. Katherine Moir PhD Student Queen’s University katherine.moir@gmail.com
ABSTRACTS St Lawrence River Water Quality: Contaminant Sources and their Impacts The REASON Project El-Amine Mimouni The Upper St. Lawrence River represents an ecological, economic and socially important ecosystem. Algal communities and their populations can be related to various ecologically and sociologically important processes and therefore represent an ideal way to measure and communicate results regarding water quality, as they relate to both human and ecological matters. Increased knowledge of their patterns and of their main drivers would enable assessment and management of priority resources, detection nutrient enrichment and monitoring for quantifying climate change impacts on the river environment. However, the possible existence of patterns at several scales make the inference of results strongly dependent on the scale of the study. We used an integrated approach to the study of a long-term ecosystem research database of the St. Lawrence River where algal fluorometric variables at several scales are studied in order to identify strongest patterns and to identify their main drivers. A long and mostly uninterrupted dataset that covers a large temporal extent (over four years) was used to better understand the patterns of algal variables in the region of the Upper St. Lawrence River, especially those at larger scales. We show that fluorometric patterns in the region can be best understood as large, yearly-scale patterns that are driven by seasonal changes in water temperature over which smaller-scale patterns related to organic matter and weather variables. El-Amine Mimouni River Institute elamine.mimouni89@gmail.com Water Quality Effects on Odonata: A Comparison of Urban vs. Natural Ponds Mary Perron Perron, M.C., Pick, F.R. Stormwater ponds are constructed to receive urban runoff in order to mitigate flooding and downstream water pollution. Stormwater ponds can have poor water quality; nevertheless, wildlife is attracted to these sites. The objective of this study was to compare species assemblages of Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) in stormwater ponds to those from natural ponds and to determine if water quality influences Odonata nymphs. Odonata are good indicators of wetland habitat, as they rely on features of both aquatic and terrestrial environments. A total of 28 chemical/physical variables were sampled in stormwater ponds (n=41) and natural ponds (n=10) along with Odonata nymph assemblages across the National Capital Region of Canada. Overall nymph abundance was significantly lower in the stormwater ponds compared to natural ponds. Dragonfly community structure was significantly related to conductivity, dissolved oxygen, nutrients and metals while damselfly community structure was significantly related to nutrients and metals. The genera Aeshna and Anax (green darner) were relatively more common in stormwater ponds whereas Sympetrum and Leucorrhinia were typically associated with natural ponds. Only a small percentage of the variation in the dragonfly and damselfly communities was explained by water quality; thus, other environmental factors are likely driving the nymphal abundance and diversity of Odonata in stormwater ponds. Marry Anne Perron Department of Biology University of Ottawa mperr058@uottawa.ca
ABSTRACTS Diversity, Trends and Threats to Fish in Coastal Wetlands of the St. Lawrence River Spread of Eurasian Tench (Tinca tinca) in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River Basin Sunci Avlijas AVLIJAS, S.1, MANDRAK, N.E.2 and RICCIARDI, A.1, 1McGill University, Montreal; 2 University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto. A globally invasive fish, Eurasian Tench (Tinca tinca), is spreading through the St. Lawrence River and has been detected in Lake Ontario in September 2019. At sites with favourable habitat, such as Lake St. Pierre in the St. Lawrence, Tench abundance is growing exponentially. These recent high rates of dispersal and population expansion raise concerns about the potential ecological consequences of an impending invasion of Tench in the Great Lakes. The Tench is a generalist benthic consumer with largely undocumented ecological impacts in North America, though reports from other invaded regions indicate that it can exert strong competitive pressure for food on other benthic fishes. To assess the potential risk of Tench impacts through competition on co-occurring benthivorous fishes in the Great Lakes region we characterized the diet of Tench and quantified its dietary overlap with co-occurring fishes. Fish stomachs were collected at sites where Tench is currently established in the St. Lawrence River, the Richelieu River and Lake Champlain. Results from our study will inform impact risk assessments for this invader as it spreads into the Great Lakes. Sunci Avlijas McGill University suncica.avlijas@mail.mcgill.ca Spatial Environmental Heterogeneity at Macro- and Micro-scales Reducing Invasion Success in an Aquatic Ecosystem Louis Astorg Biological invasions have widespread negative effects on native communities and are today considered the second greatest agent of species endangerment and extinction worldwide. However, invasive species success is not spatially homogeneous and some habitats with low invasion success can serve as refuges for native species. In the upper St. Lawrence River two water masses (Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River) with different ion contents converge creating spatial environmental heterogeneity at a macro-scale. Furthermore within each water mass near shore wetlands are present creating spatial environmental heterogeneity at a micro-scale. We examined invasion success of an invasive fish (Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus Pallas)) in the upper St. Lawrence River along the spatial environmental heterogeneity at both macro- and micro-scales to determine their potential role as refuges for native species. We also analyzed both fish and macroinvertebrate diversity and community patterns inside and outside macro- and micro-refuges. To determine if the observed patterns were the result of direct habitat effects of the refuges or indirect effects through reduced invasive fish abundance we applied structural equation models to diversity and community metrics. We confirmed that the macro-refuge created by ionic content of the water was totally inhibiting round goby invasion success in the Ottawa River. The micro-refuges created by near shore wetlands were also reducing invasion success in the invaded St. Lawrence River. Fish and macroinvertebrate communities were both structured by the macro- and micro- refuges but mainly macroinvertebrate diversity was modified by refuges. Lastly we found that in the invaded St. Lawrence River the community and diversity pattern were not driven by reduced invasive fish abundance but were direct habitat effect of micro-refuges. Therefore, we argue that environmental heterogeneity at multiple spatial scales has the potential to reduce invasion success which in turn can reduce invasion impacts and enhance native community recovery through adaptive and compensatory dynamics. Our results highlight the importance of better understanding and conserving environmental heterogeneity at multiple scales in order to decrease invasion success and provide refuges to native species. Louis Astorg UQAM Montreal louisastorg@msn.com
ABSTRACTS Diversity, Trends and Threats to Fish in Coastal Wetlands of the St. Lawrence River Diversity and Trends of Fish Assemblages in Coastal Wetlands of the St. Lawrence River The FINS Project (Fish Identification Nearshore Survey) is a research partnership between the River Institute and the Mohawk Council of Akwesasne, with the goal of characterizing nearshore fish communities and habitats of the Upper St. Lawrence River. Here we describe trends in fish abundance and habitat features that were observed over a three year period (2016-2018) that included historically significant water level fluctuations. Increased macrophyte cover due to high water levels may have contributed to increased fish abundance for the 2017 sampling season at some sites. It was found that nutrient levels were not significantly different between years, however levels of nitrates and phosphates were consistently higher earlier in the survey period. The abundance of fish species, including species at risk, saw an increase in 2017 and 2018. The differences between our findings from wetland and non-wetland sites will be discussed, as well as a comparison between the productivities of different coastal wetlands. Kate Schwartz River Institute kswartz@riverinstitute.ca Near-shore Fish Community Monitoring in Thousand Islands National Park and the Canadian Thousand Islands Thousand Islands National Park has been monitoring near-shore fish communities on the Canadian side of the Thousand Islands region in partnership with Muskies Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry since 2005. The program started in response to the large muskellunge die-off due to VHS on the St. Lawrence River in 2005. Initially the program focused and assessing the status of muskellunge reproduction but has evolved to also track species at risk populations (pugnose shiner, grass pickerel) and near-shore fish community health. The program now includes annual standardised monitoring of 20 sites in and adjacent to Thousand Islands National park. Muskellunge young of year numbers remain extremely low to date, however a number of new breeding locations have been identified through the program. Josh Van Wieren Parks Canada josh.vanwieren@canada.ca
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