Come wrap-up the conference with Bio Sci’s very own Dr. Suzanne Tank on Thursday, March 5th at 5:30 pm in CCIS 1-440.

Title: Aquatic ecosystems as integrators and sentinels of change

Abstract: Aquatic ecosystems integrate the landscapes that surround them.  Changes on land are captured by water flowing across landscapes, which is in turn delivered to the freshwater environment.  Thus, aquatic ecosystems are sentinels of change occurring across broad spatial scales, while at the same time being critically affected by the changes that they can be used to detect.  During this talk, I will examine the interplay between aquatic ecosystems and global change through both of these lenses.  While this talk will focus on past and ongoing work in northern regions, I will also use this framework to discuss work currently being undertaken by our lab in Alberta, and elsewhere in Canada.  By working across a variety of scales, one can understand both the impact of global change on aquatic ecosystems, and use aquatic ecosystems to track global change.  These principles have global application, including for the freshwater systems of Alberta.