McGill University
M.Sc. candidate
Supervisor: Anthony Ricciardi
Start: 2018-09-01
End: 2020-09-01

Project

The changing impacts of invasive Carassius species as climate warming alters their demographics
The Carassius genus are predominantly warm water fish that may stand to benefit from climate warming. As surface temperatures in the Great Lakes approach their thermal optimum, it is thought that Carassius species will become more abundant. Carassius species are omnivorous and can cause declines or shifts in the benthic invertebrate community through predation. They are also ecosystem engineers that can change an ecosystem from a clear to a turbid state. Their method of feeding resuspends sediments, and uproots aquatic vegetation. I will be looking at the functional response of two goldfish species (Carassius auratus and Carassius gibelio) as an indicator of performance, in order to see how their performance changes at warmer temperatures. I will also examine the indirect impact of goldfish on the growth of juvenile redhorse, a genus known to be sensitive to turbidity, whose nursery habitat overlaps with goldfish habitat preferences.