Theme - Winter ecology in a changing world

Winter ecology in a changing world

Major ecological changes are expected to occur during this century as a result of ongoing global climate change. In relative terms, changes in temperature are expected to be greatest in winter at northern latitudes, with warmer stream temperatures and shorter periods of ice cover. Aquatic organisms must adapt to these physical changes in their environment, and these changes have repercussions for behavior, predator-prey interactions, food availability and life history strategies.

The winter ecology group conducts research on the following areas:

• Effects of winter temperature on the behavior and physiology of salmonids subjected to predation risk
• Effects of egg incubation temperature in winter on behavior and life history of salmonids.
• Effects of ice cover on salmonid behavior related to foraging, aggression and predation risk from both aquatic and terrestrial predators.