view . spring 2008
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examines the structure, function, and flow of
nutrients in aquatic food webs using natural
and human-introduced chemical tracers. He
is developing tools to study ecosystem
structure that will provide new information on
how ecosystems function and react to
environmental stressors. Characterizing and
understanding the influence of natural variation
and manmade stress on food webs is essential
for effective conservation, management and,
ultimately, the health of sustainable ecosystems.
Dr. Fisk led a team of experts more than
3,000 kms to Baffin Island last summer to
study the impact of melting polar ice caps on
the feeding habits of Greenland sharks. The
project was being conducted as part of
International Polar Year, a global scientific
program focusing on a range of physical,
biological and social research topics in the
Arctic and Antarctic.
•
Drs. Jan Ciborowski
,
Lynda Corkum
and
Ken Drouillard
, of the University of
Windsor Science faculty, are participants in
the recently funded IGERT (Integrate
Graduate Education and Research
Traineeship) program in “Ecosystem
Restoration though Interdisciplinary
Exchange (ERIE),” supported by the National
Science Foundation. The lead researcher on
the grant is Dr. Alan Rabideau, Department of
Civil, Structural and Environmental
Engineering at the SUNY Buffalo. The
Canadian partners include University of
Windsor, University of Waterloo, McMaster
University, Canadian Consulate, Regional
Municipality of Niagara, Director Niagara
Parks Commission, and the Niagara Peninsula
Conservation Authority. The program will
train 20 to 24 PhD fellows in interdisciplinary
research that will integrate science,
engineering, and policy-oriented scholarship
to advance the theory and practice of
restoration in aquatic ecosystems. Colleagues
at UWindsor will host visiting American
graduate students in their laboratories,
provide guest lectures and contribute to the
development of a seminar course on
Ecosystem Restoration.
❍
v
Top left Canadian goose, Point Pelee’s tip, cluster of zebra mussels, jack-in-the-pulpit, grey-eyed junco and leopard frog.
Canadian goose courtesy Chuck Szmurlo; Point Pelee’s tip, jack-in-the-pulpit, grey-eyed junco and leopard frog courtesy Parks Canada;
zebra mussels courtesy Michigan Sea Grant
