Université du Québec à Chicoutimi
M.Sc. candidate
Supervisor: Mathieu Cusson
Christian Nozais
Start: 2020-08-31
End: 2022-08-31

Project

Temporal dynamics of intertidal macroalgal productivity of the St. Lawrence
Macroalgae are at the base of rocky intertidal ecosystems and create favourable habitats to multiple marine organisms. Ice-scouring abrasion during winter and spring structures the intertidal benthic communities by removing a certain amount of these macroalgae. In the aim to improve the knowledge on the impact and the extent of these coastal ecosystems perturbations, biomass, productivity and resilience of those macroalgae will be evaluate during several years. My project take place on the north shore of the St. Lawrence marine estuary and will provide a better comprehension of these ecosystems functionality. My objectives will be to evaluate the lost biomass after the ice-scouring events, to estimate the recolonization time and the resilience of those ecosystems, as well as to measure the growth of different macroalgae species to show a new view of the carbon dynamic generated by these rocky intertidal ecosystems.

Keywords

productivité, Saint Laurent, macroalgues intertidales, abrasion par les glaces, Productivity, St. Lawrence, intertidal macroalgae, ice-scouring