Bishop’s University
M.Sc. candidate
Supervisor: Patrick Bergeron
Isabelle Lavoie, INRS
Start: 2022-09-05
End: 2024-05-01

Project

Ecotoxicology Multitrophic Response on Pond Snails and Biofilm to Pesticide Mix
This master's is an individualized program new to Bishop's University working in conjunction with the Institute National de la Recherche Scientifique at Quebec City. The main focus is to set up outdoor model ecosystems (mesocosm bins) to study ecotoxicology/bioaccumulation effects of common Quebec pesticides on freshwater invertebrate communities. The project is part of the team comprising the Réseau Québécois de Recherche en Agriculture Durable (RQRAD) created by the Fonds de recherche Quebec. This fall 2022, I am working on a thesis proposal to design and conduct and experiment with outdoor mesocosm bins utilizing biofilm algae and pond snails (Lymnaea stagnalis) as models for Quebec freshwater systems, along with establishing larger scale population dynamics of the invertebrate system that will prove beneficial to other researchers on the team. We will be adding a mix of pesticides (commonly used for corn and other crop production) to these bins to monitor bioaccumulation effects in the algae and pond snails. The first field season will be during summer 2023, and the master's is planned to go until at least summer 2024.

Keywords

ecotoxicology, animal behavior, Bioaccumulation, freshwater, Snails, Frogs, algae, Biofilm, amphibians, Molluscs, pesticides, Mesocosm, community ecology, Social Biology, Pace of Life, personality, Field Work, agriculture, agroecology, invertebrates, insects