Aquatic ecology axis

We apply paleolimnological approaches, classic and emerging tools in community ecology, such as environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding, food web ecology (stable isotopes and fatty acids), as well as measures of ecosystem function. We are interested in following temporal patterns in the experimental lakes, as well as conducting manipulative enclosure experiments to disentangle specific ecological mechanisms. We collaborate closely with other teams on the project to determine the extent to which lake properties determine stickleback phenotypic evolution, and how much stickleback phenotypic evolution feeds back on lake ecology. 

The figure to the right shows divergent responses of zooplankton communities to evolutionary divergent stickleback additions. Before stickleback introductions, both large and small recipient lakes had similar crustacean zooplankton communities. With limnetic stickleback introductions, zooplankton assemblages became dominated by small-bodied taxa and were less speciose, whereas benthic stickleback introductions resulted in more variable communities.