Comparison of biodiversity and food web complexity between reservoirs and natural lakes
– Prof. Katrine Turgeon and many others (Université de Québec en Outaouais (UQO))
In Canada and Quebec, hydroelectricity represents 63% and 97%, respectively, of energy production. However, dams are recognized as one of the main threats to biodiversity, food web stability and ecosystem functions of aquatic ecosystems. Dams transform rivers (lotic ecosystems) into reservoirs (lentic ecosystems) and generate variations in water levels which go well beyond natural ranges. They also represent barriers to migratory organisms. These changes to the quality, diversity and access to key habitats can harm some species and favor others to disrupt the food web balance. The objective of this project is to quantify how dams impact biodiversity and food webs, as well as ecosystem functions. This includes quantifying the biodiversity of zooplankton, macroinvertebrates and fish as well as evaluating the interactions between species by examining the stomach contents of fish and taking biopsies for stable isotope analysis. Papineau Lake represents one of the natural lakes being used in this project’s comparison.
