Predator-prey interactions are key to shaping fish populations, meals webs, and the well being and stability of aquatic ecosystems, and Environmental & Life Sciences (ENLS) Ph.D. scholar Bradley Howell is on the forefront of finding out these species dynamics in freshwater programs.
Trent Ph.D. scholar Bradley Howell deploys fish monitoring know-how in a lake
“Tracking fish underwater has obvious challenges,” says Bradley. “Scientists have developed tools that allow us to follow fish as they move through their environment, but it’s still hard for us to know exactly what they are encountering below the surface. If a prey fish with a tracker gets eaten, we might continue to track the predator and not know.”
How are you aware when a fish will get eaten?
As the latest recipient of the Peter A. Larkin Excellence in Fisheries Award and a prestigious NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship (CGS-D), Bradley is acknowledged as Canada’s prime doctoral-degree fisheries researcher. He’s testing a brand new acoustic know-how developed by Innovasea, an aquatic options firm, that makes use of specialised transmitters that may determine when predation happens, uncovering when, the place and below what situations fish are most weak. This new know-how makes it doable to research small-bodied fishes which have traditionally been arduous to monitor.
“Technology is changing the way we study and manage fish populations in Canada. Monitoring fish behaviour and identifying habitats with high mortality will help biologists and resource managers make informed conservation decisions,” says Bradley. “New tools allow researchers to connect individual fish behaviour to larger patterns – enhancing our understanding of freshwater ecosystems.”
Later this 12 months, Bradley will journey overseas to research at Eawag, the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, as a recipient of the NSERC Michael Smith Foreign Study Supplement. During this worldwide analysis placement, he’ll construct on his doctoral research by conducting behaviour and weight loss program research in Western Greenland.
“I enjoy the challenge of studying fish in the wild,” says Bradley, who additionally accomplished his undergrad diploma in Biology and Environmental & Resource Science at Trent. “The ENLS grad program has been an incredibly supportive place to do research. I’ve had the freedom to pursue ambitious ideas while still having strong guidance and mentorship from Professor Graham Raby.”
Learn extra in regards to the Environmental & Life Sciences Ph.D. program.