Abstract

As global emissions of plastic pollution continue to rise, understanding the transport and fate of plastic within these systems is crucial for determining risk. Currently, the ecological effects of plastic pollution in rivers and lakes are largely unknown, including how this material may modify and create new habitats affecting animal behavior. My PhD seeks to address some of these knowledge gaps through the following three overarching objectives:1) Determine how flow affects the distribution, transport, and retention of plastic pollution within an urban river; 2) Explore how the exposure and effects of plastic pollution vary with stream flow on a natural benthic macroinvertebrate community; 3) Examine how freshwater habitats are modified through the introduction of macroplastic (items > 5mm in size) and how this modification impacts prey fish behavior in the nearshore of freshwater boreal lakes. To achieve these objectives, I use both field sampling campaigns and large scale mesocosm experiments. This research aims to advance our understanding of the ecological and behavioural consequences of plastic pollution entering freshwater aquatic ecosystems.