PhD student

Project : Impacts of aquatic connectivity loss on terrestrial-aquatic food webs

The meta-ecology land and Canada Research Chair on Cross-Ecosystem Linkages (CREE; P.I. = Eric Harvey) is looking to recruit a PhD candidate interested in working on the combined impacts of a loss of ecological connectivity in streams and a concomitant alteration of the riparian zone on the coupling between the terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. These impacts include the effects on fish diet, ecosystem functioning as well as on the aquatic and terrestrial food webs via the use of tracers and molecular methods (e.g. lipid or isotopic signature). The key concepts of interest for this project are related to meta-ecosystems, meta-communities, cross-ecosystem couplings and food webs. One of the main objectives of the project is to better understand how different types of disturbances can alter the functioning of ecosystems via spatial cascades between ecosystems. The project is designed to give flexibility to the candidate who wants to explore different ideas and approaches. The project is funded through a larger collaborative effort on ecological connectivity in streams involving researchers from four universities, the MELCCFP (Quebec environment ministry), Hydro Québec and Nature Conservancy Canada. In that context, we are looking for an autonomous, curious, creative candidate who is comfortable working in a larger team. This project is co-supervised by Vincent Fugère (UQTR) and is in collaboration with a larger group of researchers from UQTR, UQAC, UQO, and McGill.