The research lab of Dr. Michael Rennie is seeking a number of highly
motivated and hard working students to join a growing and exciting
research group on the shores of Lake Superior in Thunder Bay, Ontario.
The work in the lab is diverse and challenging, and involves work from
major research vessels on the Great Lakes and Lake Winnipeg, as well as
at the legendary Experimental Lakes Area in Northwestern Ontario.
Students would join our lab in the Department of Biology at Lakehead
University. The lab also conducts work in the newly-renovated,
state-of-the-art Biology Aquatics Facility. Possible research topics are
listed below, but students with good ideas and an ability to demonstrate
success in research (particularly those who are funded through major
scholarships) are encouraged to contact me and discuss other opportunities.
*Effects of whole-lake nanosilver addition on fish populations* (1
student, MSc)
Nanosilver is the most commonly used nanomaterial in consumer products
today; it is widely used as an antimicrobial, but the ecosystem-level
effects of this material associated with environmental release is poorly
understood. This project will investigate changes in the bioenergetics
of fishes exposed to nanosilver during a whole-lake addition experiment
at the Experimental Lakes Area, and investigate population-level changes
in the fish community of the lake. Field work would commence May of
2015, with a program start date of Sept. 2015.
*Effect of food web complexity on lake trout habitat use* (1 student,
MSc or PhD)
/Mysis diluvania/ has been described as a “keystone species”, and has
been demonstrated to play a fundamental role in food web structure and
energetic pathways to sport fishes like lake trout. Using
radiotelemetry, this project will focus on a comparison of lake trout
distributional patterns between lakes that differ on the basis of the
presence of /Mysis/, and using this information to inform differences
among populations in terms of fish productivity and life history traits.
At the PhD level, the student will have an opportunity be intimately
involved ain a whole-lake ecosystem restoration experiment focused on
the re-introduction of /Mysis./ Field work will commence May 2015, with
a program start date of Sept. 2015.
*Evaluating the use of hydroacoustic technologies in fisheries ecology*
(1 student, PhD)
Hydroacoustics is widely used to estimate a variety of aspects of
fisheries ecology, including schooling behaviour, vertical migration
patterns and population abundance. However, validating the technology
for a particular ecosystem or population can pose significant
challenges. This project will validate hydroacoustic population
estimates against those derived from long-term mark-recapture studies.
In addition, it will explore the potential for refining population
estimates and extending behavioural studies by integrating multi-beam
hydroacoustic surveys with concurrent acoustic telemetry studies. The
focus of the field work will be on whole lake experiments at the
Experimental Lakes Area in Northwestern Ontario, investigating the
potential effects of climate change on fishes and on limnetic food webs
generally. This project may also be extended to examine how stationary
hydroacoustic installations may be used to document variation in
activity rates among populations (both at the Experimental Lakes Area
and across the Great Lakes), and compare with bioenergetic estimates of
activity. The student would be supervised jointly by Brian Shuter at the
University of Toronto and Mike Rennie at Lakehead University, with the
opportunity to benefit from the academic programs available at both
institutions. Ideally, the person would be free to start field work in
summer 2015, with formal registration in the PhD program in Sept.
*Plastic pollution in inland Canadian Lakes *(1-2 students, MSc or PhD)
Though plastic pollution has been well documented in marine
environments, the extent of the problem in freshwater ecosystems is only
now coming to light. Surveys will focus on documenting the extent of
macro and micro-plastic pollution in Lake Winnipeg, with opportunities
for lab-based experiments to examine the interaction of plastic
particles with the environment. Field work would commence May of 2015,
with a program start date of Sept. 2015.
*Evolutionary ecology of predator introductions* (1 student, MSc or PhD)
During a number of predator introduction experiments at the Experimental
Lakes Area, prey populations have been decimated to the point of
extirpation. Using a combination of lab and field experiments, we seek
to examine the evolutionary role of predator experience in determining
the adaptive abilities of prey fish to respond to novel predators. Start
date negotiable.
Details on the MSc program in Biology at Lakehead University can be
found here:
https://www.lakeheadu.ca/academics/graduate/programs/masters/biology/node/7277;
as well as the PhD program in Forest Sciences
(http://nrm.lakeheadu.ca/PhD) and Biotechnology
(http://biotechnology.lakeheadu.ca/?display=page&pageid=5). Interested
applicants should contact Mike Rennie at [email protected]
<mailto:[email protected]>. For more information on the research
interests of my group, please visit:
http://www.iisd.org/biography/michael-rennie.
--------------------------
Michael D. Rennie
Canada Research Chair in Freshwater Ecology and Fisheries
Assistant Professor, Department of Biology
Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, ON
Research Fellow, IISD-Experimental Lakes Area
161 Portage Avenue East, 6th Floor
Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada R3B 0Y4
Ph: 204.958.7796 Fax: 204.958.7710
Adjunct Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
University of Manitoba
Room 420, Biological Sciences Building
Ph: 204.619.0741
Twitter: @not_Klaatu
