August 17, 2009

Early Researcher Awards

Ontario is providing $11.5 million to support 82 emerging researchers and their teams at 21 institutions across Ontario. Each lead researcher will receive $140,000 through the Early Researcher Awards program.

University of Guelph

Contemporary Adaptation in Wild Animals
Lead researcher: Dr. Andrew Graham McAdam
Number of researchers benefiting: 4

Evolution is the fundamental process responsible for biological diversity. While differences between species have arisen over millions of years, they result from many small evolutionary changes over single generations. Dr. McAdam is focusing on contemporary evolution in the wild. He is using three different model systems to identify the connections and test the importance of three fundamental factors – food abundance, competition and predation – on contemporary evolution in the wild. His findings will improve our understanding of how evolution happens in nature. They will also help us better predict how organisms will respond to future environmental changes, such as climate change and exotic species invasion.

Climate change and Disturbance Effects on Boreal Ecosystem Health
Lead researcher: Dr. Merritt Rae Turetsky
Number of researchers benefiting: 7

Canadian peatlands have stored atmospheric carbon as peat for thousands of years. Today, they hold an estimated 154 gigatonnes of carbon, 95% of which is in boreal and subarctic areas. Climate change currently is threatening these peatlands, forcing them to release carbon back to the atmosphere, which in turn exacerbates climate change. Water tables that have been lowered due to climate change, for instance, are exposing deeper peat to accelerated decomposition and burning during wildfires, making their carbon stocks even more vulnerable to loss through conversion into carbon dioxide. Dr. Turetsky’s research will provide the first insight into climate-mediated disturbances, such as drought and wildfire, on Ontario peatlands. This information will play an important role in helping us sustainably manage one of the globe’s largest terrestrial carbon stocks.