Identifying wetland ecosystems and plants of Eeyou Istchee James Bay that are vulnerable to climate change

Wetlands house a great diversity of plant species, particularly bryophytes as the humid environment permits this poikilohydric group to flourish. Compared to the wetlands of western Canada, our knowledge of the plant biodiversity in Québec’s boreal wetlands is fragmentary. Furthermore, while it has been demonstrated that wetland conditions and functions are affected by climate dependant factors such as precipitation and fire cycle, the link to biodiversity and rare species presence has not yet been investigated at the landscape level. This PhD project will determine the species diversity and rare species occurrences in different wetland types across the black spruce boreal forest of Québec. The The PhD student will analyse the results in the context of climate change to determine the relative vulnerability of different wetland types and their biodiversity to climate change in collaboration with Ouranos (https://www.ouranos.ca/en/).

Faculty Supervisor:

Nicole Fenton;Yves Bergeron;Osvaldo Valeria

Student:

Partner:

Ouranos Inc

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Accommodation and food services; Agriculture; Professional, scientific and technical services; Public administration

University:

Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Program: