Maariyah Syed (Honours thesis, 2019)
Maariyah Syed
Project description: The Northwest Territories (NWT) is experiencing rapid environmental changes due to a warming climate and human development. These stressors are causing significant changes in aquatic habitats, including increases in water temperature, conductivity, calcium concentrations, and water clarity. These changes may impact biota in lakes and ponds, but little is known about how some important aquatic organisms, such as rotifers, may respond. Rotifers are abundant microinvertebrates that are part of zooplankton assemblages in many freshwater ecosystems. This study aims to identify whether changing environmental conditions might impact the rotifer community structure in small Arctic lakes. Baseline data on water chemistry, lake bathymetry and rotifer communities were collected and analyzed from a total of 20 lakes located along the highway running between Fort McPherson, Inuvik and Tuktoyaktuk. A total of 21 rotifer genera were identified, with an average of 12 genera per lake. Analyses indicate that pH, conductivity, water clarity, total organic carbon (TOC) and calcium have a significant impact on rotifer richness, while diversity is significantly influenced by conductivity, water clarity and calcium concentrations. Several of the factors we identified as important for structuring rotifer communities are expected to be affected by climate change, permafrost thaw, and human development, including nutrient levels, conductivity, temperature, calcium and TOC concentrations. As a result, we expect the richness and diversity of rotifer communities in NWT lakes will be significantly affected by these stressors.
Associated projects: How will invertebrates in Arctic lakes respond to permafrost thaw