Factors Affecting Macrophyte and Fish Distribution in Coastal Wetlands of Georgian Bay
The three studies in this thesis are dedicated to improving knowledge on coastal wetlands of the Great Lakes, particularly those located in Lake Huron, Georgian Bay. The overall goal is to promote the health and conservation of these ecologically threatened ecosystems, which have… Read More
Testing the transferability of a marsh-inundation model across two landscapes
The effect of water-level (WL) fluctuations on both the structure and functioning of coastal marshes is well documented, and in the past, scientists have demonstrated this by relating historical changes in the areal cover of emergent vegetation (EM) of a particular site to… Read More
Use of IKONOS imagery to map coastal wetlands of Georgian Bay
Wetlands throughout North America have been diminished in quantity and quality because of human activities, and it is therefore important that fishery managers monitor changes in supply of this critical fish habitat. Use of traditional field-based methods to detect and record the… Read More
Aids of the conservation of Great Lakes coastal marshes: development of a macrophyte index and a novel macrophyte sampling protocol
Wetlands are a valuable resource, providing many ecosystem services, but unfortunately, coastal wetlands in the Great lakes are under threat from human development, including water quality impairment, introduction of exotic invasive species as well as physical damage such as… Read More
Forcasting the response of coastal wetlands to declining water levels and environmental disturbances in the Great Lakes
The overall purpose of this study was to examine the impact of increasing human-induced and natural stresses on the distribution of aquatic vegetation and fish along the Great Lakes shoreline.
The first part of the dissertation proposes a predictive model to examine the effect… Read More