Affiliation: University of Windsor, Department of Biological Sciences Principal Investigator: Dr. Jan J.H. Ciborowski Postdoctorate Fellows: Dr. Katya Kovalenko Current Graduate Students: Carla Wytrykush (Ph.D candidate); Kaitlin Kennedy (M.Sc. candidate); Michael Chen (M.Sc. candidate); Sheeva Nakhaie (M.Sc. candidate), Kathryn Williams (M.Sc. candidate). Team Role: The Ciborowski team is estimating microbial production and respiration in the field (with the University of Waterloo), evaluating zoobenthic composition and secondary production, determining wetland bathymetry, contributing to macrophyte production estimates (with the University of Alberta), examining emergent aquatic insect trophic transfer to tree swallows (with Saskatchewan), and conducting bioassay studies of oil sands process materials (OSPM) effects on midge larvae.

	Dr. Katya Kovalenko (Postdoctorate Fellow) Started: 2009 Title: Modelling carbon dynamics and food web structure to understand restoration of ecosystem functions under different reclamation scenarios.
Project Summary: Boreal wetlands are an important player in global carbon balance but their ecosystem function is threatened by direct anthropogenic disturbance and climate change. Oil sands mining in boreal Canada leaves large areas in need of reclamation and generates considerable quantities of extraction process-affected materials. It is important to know whether wetlands reclaimed with oil sands process material are restored to equivalent levels of ecosystem function. We are approaching this by assessing carbon flows and food web structure in oil sands-affected wetlands to evaluate whether a prescribed reclamation strategy, peat amendment, accelerates reclaimed wetland development leading to self-sustaining wetlands. We measured compartment standing stocks for residual hydrocarbons, organic substrate, bacterioplankton, phytoplankton, biofilm, macrophytes, detritus, zoobenthos as well as production microbial production, gas fluxes and aquatic-terrestrial exports (i.e. aquatic insect emergence). Most biotic compartments differ between oil-sands and reference wetlands. This difference declines with age but is still detectable in older wetlands. Macroinvertebrate trophic diversity and predator diversity are lower in oil sands-affected wetlands. Peat amendment appears to increase similarity for some compartments but not others.
	Carla Wytrykush (Ph.D. In Progress) Started: 2002 Thesis Title: Diversity and ecosystem processes and properties in wetland communities: the effects of ecosystem stressors and reclamation challenges.

Project Summary: Decomposition of dead plant material is an integral process providing key nutrients to drive primary productivity in wetlands. How rapidly aquatic plant matter is broken down within a wetland can indicate the potential for productivity and, by extension, the adequate functioning of aquatic ecosystems. In contrast, the sequestration of incompletely decomposed materials ultimately results in organic matter production, potentially supporting the development of fens and bogs. Carla's research examines the effects of four factors on cattail and moss decomposition in constructed and natural wetlands: 1) oil sands process sediments (present/absent); 2) oil sands process water (present/ absent); 3) wetland age (younger vs. older); and 4) sediment organic content (low-unamended/high-amended). Carla predicts that all vegetative material will exhibit exponential decay over time, and that cattail decomposition will be more rapid than moss decomposition. For both types of vegetation, decomposition will be slowed by the presence of oil sands process materials.

Preliminary results suggest OSPM affected wetlands function similarly to natural wetlands in terms of plant decomposition. An important and serendipitous result from this project is the evidence that moss growth can occur in OSPM wetlands. This is useful in terms of the development of bogs and fens in the oil sands reclamation landscape.

Kaitlin Kennedy (M.Sc. In Progress) Started: 2009 Thesis Title: Assessing Productivity of Chironomidae in Reclaimed Wetlands in the Athabasca Oil Sands Region of Northeastern Alberta

Michael Chen (M.Sc. In Progress, Co-supervised by Dr. Chris Weisener) Started: 2009 Thesis Title: Sediment interfacial interactions controlling nutrient and REDOX flux within experimental oil sands end-pit lake tailings

Sheeva Nakhaie (M.Sc. In Progress) Started: 2010 Thesis Title: Species area relationships in avian biodiversity in reclaimed and natural wetlands of north-eastern Alberta – Tests of contrasting hypotheses

Project Summary: Wetland habitats are in decline due to changing weather conditions and impacts of human development. They are home to a large variety of avian species including a disproportionate number that are rare or at risk.  Many wetland obligate species have shown declines in both range and abundance as critical habitat is lost. Thus, effective wetland conservation is essential. It has been documented that species diversity increases with habitat area; larger wetlands support greater avian diversity as well as individual species abundance.  In addition, there may be upper and lower limits where species diversity is independent of wetland size and these limits determine a critical habitat size that should be achieved to sustain avian biodiversity in wetlands. We will perform point counts in reclaimed and natural wetlands in north-eastern Alberta that vary in size to determine trends in avian biodiversity.  We hypothesize that at the community level there should be an upper limit to the number of species that a wetland can support regardless of wetland area which should indicate the regional species pool. At the individual species level, noncolonial birds should demonstrate increasing abundance with increasing wetland size. Colonial birds should exhibit minimum species abundance as well as a maximum number of individuals that the wetland can support. These limits are likely determined by additional factors such as vegetation, micro habitats and colonial bird interactions.


 

Past Graduate Students

Carsten Slama (M.Sc.) Completed: 2010 Thesis Title: Sediment Oxygen Demand of Wetlands in the Oil Sands Region of North-eastern Alberta.

Thesis Abstract: I am studying sediment oxygen demand (SOD), nutrient concentrations, and submergent macrophyte biomass in reference wetlands and oil sands process material affected (OSPM) wetlands in the oil sands region of Alberta. Any or all of these factors could influence the success of wetland reclamation in this area. I am using gas flux and SOD chambers to determine the biological and chemical components. Nutrient concentrations were estimated from water and sediment extractions as well as from  PRSJ  (Plant Root Simulator) probes. Sediment oxygen demand is slightly higher in OSPM‑affected wetlands than in reference wetlands. Over 85% of SOD was due to chemical processes, likely due to ammonium oxidation. High SOD could limit benthic respiration and ultimately affect carbon stores. Reference wetlands had greater submergent macrophyte biomass than OSPM‑affected wetlands, but phosphorus concentration could not explain this difference. This implies that sediment oxygen demand, phosphorus concentration, and submergent macrophyte biomass are independent of one another among wetland classes.

Jesse Gardner Costa (M.Sc.) Completed: 2010 Thesis Title: Spatial and temporal variation in sediment-associated microbial respiration in oil sands mine-affected wetlands of north-eastern Alberta, Canada.

Thesis Abstract: We measured whether carbon loss in the form of sediment-associated microbial respiration differed between unvegetated sediments of recently constructed oil sands process-affected (OSPM) and reference wetlands. Constituents of OSPM-wetlands (increased salinity, conductivity) were expected to influence respiration, increasing gas (methane and carbon dioxide) flux and sediment oxygen demands (SOD) compared to reference wetlands. However, OSPM-wetlands released 1/10th the methane of reference wetland sediments but did not differ in CO2 ebulition. Sediment oxygen demand (SOD) rates were twofold higher in OSPM than reference wetlands; chemical SOD exceeded biological SOD for both wetland classes (~90% of total SOD). OSPM-wetland sediments, likely have less microbial activity and more chemical oxidation than reference wetlands. Carbon accrual is necessary for reclaiming Alberta boreal wetlands. Low microbial activity may promote carbon sequestration within OSPM-wetlands but high chemical SOD may limit available oxygen for benthos respiration.

Joshua Martin (M.Sc.) Completed: 2010 Thesis Title: The nucleolar organizer of the salivary gland polytene chromosomes as a measure of recent growth in laboratory-reared and field-collected Chironomus spp. (Diptera: Chironomidae) LARVAE

Thesis Abstract: Midge larvae possess giant polytene chromosomes. Genes on these chromosomes undergoing transcription are visible as puffs. The nucleolar organizer (NOR), an especially large puff, shrinks when a larva is stressed. Two feeding experiments were conducted to examine how NOR size changes as a function of Chironomus riparius growth. NOR size was linearly related to an individual’s recent growth rate, independent of its body size.

Chironomids were collected from wetlands constructed with oil sands mine water and tailings (OSPM), and reference wetlands to evaluate the utility of the NOR as a field-based measure of larval growth and condition. Small larvae (< 9mm) did not yield sufficient quality preparations. Five karyotypes were identified, revealing cryptic diversity in the wetlands. NOR size was measured in a single karyotype; no measures were obtained from OSPM-affected wetlands. NOR size has potential as a surrogate growth measure that can facilitate estimation of chironomid secondary production.

Lyndon Barr (M.Sc.) Completed: 2009 Thesis Title: Influences of tailings water, sediments, macrophytes and detritus on zoobenthic community development in constructed wetlands- Results of a reciprocal transplant study

Thesis Abstract: Constructed wetlands using oil sand process materials are being used by the oil sands mining corporations to reclaim the post-mining landscape. A reciprocal sediment transplant study was conducted to measure effects of sediment, water, plant cover, detritus mass and year to year variation on zoobenthic richness, density and relative abundance. Density did not change between wetlands, but the oil sand process water-affected wetland had lower richness than the reference wetland. Zoobenthic relative abundance was influenced by water type, macrophyte density and amount of accumulated detritus in sediment. Zoobenthos density was significantly positively associated with amount of plant cover and detritus combined. Sediment did not directly influence zoobenthic abundance or richneses. However, its inhibition of plan percent cover caused an indirect effect.

Leanne Baker (M.Sc.) Completed: 2007 Thesis Title: The effects of petroleum coke amendments on macrophytes and aquatic invertebrates in northern Alberta, Canada constructed wetlands.

Thesis Abstract: The oil-sands operators of Fort McMurray, Alberta produce six million tonnes of petroleum coke per year. The use of coke to stabilize clay-dominated mine tailings in constructed wetlands is being studied in landscape reclamation. We studied 'in situ' effects of petroleum coke amendments placed in three wetlands constructed with different materials over two years. Coke amendments did not significantly increase concentrations of trace metals in sediment pore waters or associated biota in plots. Growth of resident macrophyte species was not prohibited by coke amendments. Coke plots in a reference wetland contained fewer stress-intolerant invertebrates, than reference plots, likely due to avoidance of coke substrates. Adding peat reduced 'Chara' cover and biomass in the reference wetland, but had no impact on plants or invertebrates in the wetlands with little organic content. Overall, local coke amendment effects were detected in a reference wetland but not in two wetlands constructed with other oil sands process materials.

Christine Daly (M.Sc.) Completed: 2007 Thesis Title: Carbon sources, microbial community production, and respiration in constructed wetlands of the Alberta, Canada oil sands mining area.

	Melanie Martin Completed: 2010 Thesis Title:The effects of peat, coke and composite tailings on macroinvetebrate species richness and abundance in oil sands constructed wetlands.
	Karolina Jurkowski Completed: 2010 Thesis Title: Inferring energy sources in constructed wetlands through stable isotope analysis of microbial biofilms.

Jennifer Thoms Completed: 2009 Thesis Title: Relating zoobenthic & emergent terrestrial insect production to tree swallow (Tachycineta bicolor) nestling diet in oil sands wetlands.

Kurt Frederick Completed: 2008 Thesis Title: Using biofilms and grazing midges (Diptera: Chironomidae) to determine nitrogen isotope baseline and enrichment in food webs of constructed wetlands differing in anthropogenic inputs.

Nadia Qureshi Completed: 2007 Thesis Title: Microbial carbon production in boreal wetlands affected by oil-sands by-products.

Anna Swisterski Completed: 2006 Thesis Title: Macroinvertebrate production & community composition in constructed wetlands.