Dynamic aquatic ecosystems in a changing world: leveraging seasonal variation to advance global change ecology Temperate aquatic ecosystems are inherently dynamic. Temperature varies drastically from location to location and with the changing seasons. For example, in temperate lakes, temperatures can surpass 25C in summer, but plummet to 0C during ice-covered winters. However, the consequences of seasonal temperature variation for aquatic communities and food webs remains poorly studied. This is a problem because climate change is shifting seasonal conditions and shortening the duration of ice covered winters across Canada’s freshwater lakes. The goal of my research program is to quantify how aquatic organisms, communities and food webs respond to seasonal temperature variation, now, so that we may better predict the consequences of shorter, warmer winters in the future. I will discuss ongoing research that explores how aquatic organisms respond to seasonal temperature variation via internal physiological adjustments and behavioral shifts. I will argue that seasonally dynamic responses, and diverse responses among coexisting species, have underappreciated consequences for the structure and sustained function of aquatic communities and food webs. New information on the dynamic nature of aquatic ecosystems, in both space and time, can be applied to better monitor and manage these systems in the face of a changing global climate. Bio from Dr. Bailey McMeans: I am originally from Nashville, TN and completed my undergrad at Middle Tennessee State University, where I spent 3 years as a pre-med major before changing course in 4th year after finishing a field course in freshwater ecology that got me hooked on research. I decided to pursue graduate studies and moved to Canada to complete both my MSc and PhD at the Great Lakes Institute of Environmental Research at the University of Windsor with Aaron Fisk, where I worked on dynamic Arctic food webs. I then completed 2 post docs, one studying fatty acids in freshwater zooplankton with Martin Kainz in Austria and one studying tropical freshwater food webs with Kevin McCann at the University of Guelph. I started as an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto Mississauga in 2017.
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