Canadian Association for the Club of Rome
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Dr. Robin Sleith | Connectivity between freshwater and marine ecosystems | 2023-05-24 | CACOR Zoom
May 24, 2023 @ 13:30 - 16:00 EDT
Speaker: Dr. Robin Sleith
Topic: Connectivity between freshwater and marine ecosystems
Time: May 24, 2023 13:30 Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Summary:
This talk will explore the connectivity between freshwater and marine ecosystems, using the ongoing Maine-eDNA project as a guide. Climate change and nutrient pollution in freshwater ecosystems have led to increased impacts on nearby marine ecosystems. Furthermore, anadromous species that rely on freshwater during their lifespan both impact and are impacted by freshwater systems. Emerging technologies like eDNA are able to increase the frequency and resolution of monitoring programs to better understand these dynamic processes.
Biography:
Robin Sleith received his undergraduate degree from Green Mountain College in Vermont and a PhD from the City University of New York. His current work is with the Maine environmental DNA project, a multi-institutional initiative that seeks to better understand Maine’s coastal ecosystems. Using a combination of eDNA tools such as metabarcoding and quantitative PCR, we are testing ecological hypotheses around the boom and bust dynamics underlying harmful algal blooms in marine and freshwater ecosystems. Ultimately, we want to understand the factors that promote or impede formation of harmful algal blooms to better forecast and manage these events.