Ecosystem Interactions Along the North Coast of British Columbia
Wednesday February 15, 2017 12:00pm-1:00pm
The Old Church (corner of First Avenue and King Street) - Smithers, BC
About this presentation
Intertidal infaunal communities represent a powerful, but currently under-exploited tool with regards to environmental monitoring along the northern coast of British Columbia. Community assemblages (species presence/absence and densities) can be used to elucidate ecosystem health, as well as detect disturbances in marine systems. This requires a detailed understanding of infaunal communities and their connection to the local environment. Dr. Travis G. Gerwing will discuss his work and what he is learning about the local intertidal ecosystems around Port Edward and Prince Rupert. He will further discuss how he is using these intertidal communities as an early warning system to hopefully identify coastal disturbances before they can magnify their way up the food web and impact human-use species, such as salmon.
About Dr. Travis G. Gerwing
Dr. Gerwing is an Adjunct Professor in the Ecosystem Science and Management Program at UNBC. He studies intertidal invertebrates to better understand ecosystem interactions and how humans are influencing these interactions.
