Ecosystem response to changes in water level of Lake Ontario marshes: lessons from the restoration of Cootes Paradise Marsh
A general understanding of how aquatic vegetation responds to water-level fluctuations is needed to guide restoration of Great Lakes coastal wetlands because inter-annual and seasonal variations often confound effects of costly remedial actions. In 1997, common carp (Cyprinus… Read More
Carp exclusion, food-web interactions and the restoration of Cootes Paradise Marsh
Carp were excluded from Cootes Paradise Marsh (Lake Ontario) in 1997 in order to improve water clarity and promote submerged plant growth. On average, turbidity at open water and vegetated areas was reduced by 40 and 60 percent, respectively, following carp exclusion. However,… Read More
Biomanipulation: a useful tool for freshwater wetland mitigation
1. Natural wetlands have traditionally been considered as efficient ‘ecological engineers’ for waste water treatment. However, the structure and function of many natural wetlands have been severely altered by the chronic exposure to pollutants, especially nutrients.
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Spatial variability in the response of lower trophic levels after carp exclusion from a freshwater marsh
Large common carp (Cyprinus carpio >30 cm) were excluded from a turbid, eutrophic coastal marsh of Lake Ontario with the construction of a fishway at the outlet. The marsh was sampled intensively for 2 seasons prior to (1993, 1994) and following (1997, 1998) carp exclusion to… Read More
A conceptual ecological model to aid restoration of Cootes Paradise Marsh, a degraded coastal wetland of L. Ontario, Canada
An ecological model is derived from recent studies, based on 60 years of empirical observations and experimental data, that conceptualizes how Cootes Paradise Marsh was transformed from a lush emergent marsh with considerable ecological diversity in all trophic levels, to one… Read More