Andrea Kirkwood Guest SES Seminar Series

Andrea is from the University of Ontario Institute of Technology "Changing our view: "Urban surface waters as dynamic and functional ecosystems in urbanizing landscapes." 

Biography

Andrea Kirkwood completed a joint-honours degree in Environment and Resource Studies & Biology (Co-op) at the University of Waterloo, and a Master's degree in Aquatic Ecology at McMaster University. Andrea's Master's work assessed seasonal mercury accumulation in phytoplankton, and the effects of whole-lake biomanipulation on algal community structure. Andrea's doctoral work at the University of Toronto focused on the ecophysiological role of cyanobacteria in pulp and paper waste-treatment systems. Postdoctoral work involved diverse research projects on microbial extremophiles (Oklahoma State University) and periphyton communities across longitudinal gradients (University of Calgary). Currently, Andrea is an Associate Professor at UOIT, where her lab conducts several projects focusing on the impacts of land-use gradients on aquatic microbial communities.

Abstract

Changing our view: Urban surface waters as dynamic and functional ecosystems in urbanizing landscapes

Urban aquatic ecosystems have been conventionally viewed as biologically impoverished. Yet, with increasing urbanization of watersheds in the lower Great Lakes basin, we need to view these systems with a broader perspective on ecosystem health and function. This is because many urban aquatic ecosystems teem with life, even if their biodiversity is considered to be relatively low. This seminar will explore this new perspective on urban aquatic ecosystems, including a discussion of the role that microorganisms (algae and bacteria) can play in ecosystem function and services.