Swanson, Heidi - University of Waterloo

个人简介

Heidi Swanson carries out research on the effects of climate change on aquatic food webs, mercury accumulation in Arctic lakes, the life history of lake trout and ecology of Arctic marine fish communities. Freshwater ecology Fish ecology Contaminant bioaccumulation Journal Editorship Associate Editor, Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Professional Associations American Fisheries Society Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 2009 PhD Biology, University of New Brunswick 2003 MSc Environmental Biology and Ecology, University of Alberta 2001 BSc Biology, Queen's University

研究领域

Professor Swanson's research interests lie at the interface of freshwater ecology, fish ecology, and contaminant bioaccumulation, and her research program reflects my interest in elucidating complex ecological interactions with chemical tracers. Many of Professor Swanson's projects involve analyses of stable isotope ratios and/or otolith microchemistry. Professor Swanson aims to conduct research that is applicable to multiple stakeholders, and she places great value in developing positive collaborative relationships with other academics, government researchers, Aboriginal communities, and industry. Current research projects/themes: 1. Effects of climate change on aquatic food webs Lakes that receive glacial inflow will likely become more turbid (i.e., less clear) as climate change accelerates rates of glacier melting. Using stable isotope ratios and innovative statistical techniques, we are working with the United States Geological Survey to determine how increases in glacial inflow are affecting/could affect lake food web structure. We are currently focused on Lake Clark, AK. This lake has 4 distinct turbidity zones (ranging from very turbid to very clear). Our goal is to investigate how different fish species (e.g., Sockeye salmon, Least cisco, Arctic char) in Lake Clark partition available food resources, and how this varies between turbidity zones. Future research will include food web studies on thermokarst lakes on the North Slope of Alaska. 2. Mercury accumulation in Arctic lakes Mercury is a potent neurotoxin and is of particular concern in the Canadian north; northerners often rely on fish as a subsistence food source, and fish Hg concentrations exceed human consumption guidelines in several lakes and for several species. We are studying bioaccumulation of Hg in several lakes in the Deh Cho region, NT. Concentrations of Hg in fish are increasing in some of these lakes and are stable and/or decreasing in others. Our aim is to confirm documented temporal trends, investigate what is driving the trends (e.g., water chemistry, food web structure, etc), and predict how fish Hg concentrations in this region may respond to continued anthropogenic stressors, such as climate change. 3. Life history of Lake trout Lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) is a fascinating salmonid fish that, until recently, was thought to be restricted to cold, deep lakes and northern rivers. During my PhD and postdoctoral research, however, I discovered that lake trout can adopt a semi-, partially anadromous life history in the Canadian Arctic. This previously unknown plasticity in Lake trout life history may have implications for restoration initiatives in the Great Lakes. We are currently conducting preliminary investigations into the life history of river-run Lake trout in Lake Superior, and contrasting our results on reproductive fitness to that found for anadromous Lake trout in the Canadian Arctic. 4. Ecology of Arctic marine fish communities Using stable isotope ratios, we are currently working with Fisheries and Oceans Canada to study food web structure and trophic ecology in nearshore, coastal, and offshore fish communities in the Beaufort Sea. This innovative research involves many collaborators and is unique in its spatial coverage and scope.

近期论文

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Gilbert, M.J.H., Donadt, C.R., Popowich, R., Swift, D., O’Neil, J., Swanson, H.K., Stevens, C.C., and K.B. Tierney. 2016. Alternative migratory strategies of Arctic Char (Salvelinus alpinus) in an extreme environment. In Press. Stasko, A.D.*, Power, M., Swanson, H.K., Majewski, A., Atchison, S., and J.D. Reist. 2016. Influences of depth and pelagic subsidies on the size-based trophic structure of Beaufort Sea fish communities. In Press. Giraldo, C., Stasko, A.*, Choy, E.S., Rosenberg, B., Majewski, A., Power, M., Swanson, H.K., Loseto, L., and James D. Reist. 2016. Trophic variability of Arctic fishes in the Canadian Beaufort Sea: a fatty acids and stable isotopes approach. Polar Biology. In Press. Swanson, Heidi K., M. Lysy, M. Power, A. Stasko*, J. Johnson, and J. Reist. 2015. A new probabilistic method for quantifying n-dimensional ecological niches and niche overlap. Ecology, 96(2): 318–324. Chételat, J. Amyot, M., Arp, P., Blais, J., Depew, D.., Emmerton, C., Evans, M., Gamberg, M., Gantner, N., Girard, C., Graydon, J., Kirk, J., Lean, D., Lehnherr, I., Muir, D., Nasr, M., Poulain, A., Power, M., Rencz, A., Roach, P., Stern, G. and Swanson, H.K., and van der Velden, S. 2015. Mercury in freshwater ecosystems of the Canadian Arctic: Recent advances on its cycling and fate. Science of the Total Environment 509-510: 41-66.