Date

February 25, 2025

Time

2:20 pm

Location

UTM(DV3214) & ZOOM

Host: Bailey McMeans

Seminar Abstract:

The study of ecology across spatial and temporal domains is inherently tied to scale (i.e., spatial: grain and extent, and temporal: interval and duration). The issue of scale has gained traction among ecologists in an effort to deepen our understanding of how global climate change influences biology, from the effect of rising temperatures on individual organisms to shifting seasonal regimes on communities of interacting species. This thesis adopts a multi-scale approach to study how three freshwater fish species with differing life histories and thermal preferences modify their behaviour in response to environmental change by leveraging innovative acoustic positioning technology. This technology provides continuous and highly resolved data of three-dimensional positioning within the environment, facilitating the investigation of individual, population, and community patterns across space and time. Specifically, I will investigate 1) the seasonal and interannual patterning of daily activity in relation to photoperiod and temperature regimes, 2) the dynamic nature of spatiotemporal niche overlap of competing predatory species, and 3) the importance of lake connectivity for freshwater fishes. This research will highlight the vulnerability of species to environmental change and evaluate innovative tools and underappreciated avenues for management that will support the conservation of freshwater fish across Canada.