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Patricia Chow-Fraser
Professor of Biology
Director of Life Sciences
Director of Life Sciences
McMaster University
Summary
I am Professor of Biology and currently the Director of Life Sciences at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. I conduct research on the ecology, conservation and restoration of coastal wetlands and associated streams in large lakes in N. America. Over the past 20 years, my students and I have sampled hundreds of wetlands throughout the Great Lakes basin and have published on the use of models to predict the effect of water level, impact of invasive species, and human activities (particularly associated with agricultural and urban development) on marsh vegetation and fish habitat in Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Our research group use remote sensing, GIS techniques, trophic-level manipulations, radiotelemetry and spatial/multivariate statistics to assist managers and concerned citizen groups to manage wetland and stream habitat throughout the Great Lakes. Our lab has developed 5 ecological indicators that are now widely used by Parks Canada, Environment Canada and the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources to track changes in ecosystem health. These indicators rely on the use of periphyton, zooplankton, aquatic macrophytes and fish as well as environmental parameters (e.g. road density, wetland basin morphology, water quality, sediment quality) to assess the ecological status of coastal wetlands throughout the U.S. and Canadian shoreline of the Great Lakes. These indices have been used to track the effectiveness of remedial actions used to restore wetlands in Areas of Concern (e.g. Cootes Paradise Marsh), 2) identify high-quality wetlands that should be protected from human development (e.g. Cloud Bay Wetland, Lake Superior; many wetlands in eastern and northern Georgian Bay), and 3) forecast the effects of global climate change and eutrophication on wetland ecosystem functions. More recently, our research demonstrated a link between declining water levels and the loss of critical fish habitat in eastern Georgian Bay, especially for esocids. I established the WIRE Net (http://www.greatlakeswetlands.ca; Wetland Inventory for Research and Education Network) and the URBAN (http://www.urbanmonitoring.ca/; Urban-rural biomonitoring and assessment network) as a means to disseminate information to the scientific community and to educate students and general public.
I currently teach undergraduate Ecology courses and graduate courses in Ecology and Management of Aquatic Ecosystems, focusing on ways to protect native biodiversity. I use self-directed learning approaches and employ multi-media, computer-assisted platforms to engage students. In 1998, I authored an interactive CD-ROM that students used to learn material in an Introductory Ecology course on their own and then met in small-group tutorials to engage in discussions or to attend field trips. They did not attend lectures but were encouraged to keep in touch with me through First Class Client and to visit me in my office. I introduced Peer Consultants who organized study sessions for term tests and the final exam for their fellow students. I used this self-directed approach in this course from 1998 to 2002. I also developed self-directed tutorials to teach my 4th year course, (enrolment 20-25/year). I programmed the tutorials in html, and used these to teach students how to operate expensive field equipment and to carry out analytical protocols that are commonly encountered in limnological research. These tutorials offered students a virtual tour of some wetlands and gave them an opportunity to see what field sampling entails.
I am interested in making better use of the internet to share resources with other educators and to develop ways for experts at other universities to teach students in my university and vice versa. I want to investigate ways to connect students across university campuses so that they can share experiences and discussions.
| Current Institution | McMaster University |
| Current School | Life Sciences Program |
| Department | Biology |
| Disciplines | |
| Address | 1280 Main Street West Hamilton Ontario L8S 4K1 Canada Phone: 905-525-9140 Ext 21996 |
Website Profile viewed 320 times
Education
University of Toronto
Erindale Campus Mississauga
Ph.D,
Department of Zoology
(1981 - 1985)
Work Experience
Professor of Biology and Director of Life Sciences
McMaster University
(1991 - Present)
Achievements
General
Publication Summary
Book Chapters:
1. Chow-Fraser, P. 2006. Development of the Wetland Water Quality Index for assessing the quality of Great Lakes coastal wetlands. In Simon, T.P and Stewart, P.M. (eds) . Coastal wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes: health, habitat and indicators Chapter 5. Indiana Biological Survey, Bloomington, Indiana. p. 137-166.
2. Chow-Fraser, P. Kostuk, K., Seilheimer, T., Weimer, M., MacDougall, T. Theÿsmeÿer. 2006. Effect of wetland quality on sampling bias associated with two fish survey methods for coastal wetlands of the lower Great Lakes. In Simon, T.P and Stewart, P.M. (eds) Coastal wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes: health, habitat and indicators Chapter 10. Indiana Biological Survey, Bloomington, Indiana. p. 233-256.
3. Wescoat, J., Chow-Fraser, P., Hartford, D., Keough, J.R., Maguire, L.A., Mackarewicz, J. Ontario-St. Lawrence River Studies. 2005. National Academies Press. Washington, DC. 116 pp.
Journal Articles:
1. Midwood, J. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2012. Predicting the response of submerged aquatic vegetation to low water levels in Georgian Bay, L. Huron. Journal of Great Lakes Research (Accepted).
2. Thomasen, S. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2012. Wave exposure and hydrologic connectivity create diversity in habitat and zooplankton assemblages at nearshore Long Point Bay, Lake Erie. Journal of Great Lakes Research. (Accepted).
3. Midwood, J., Rokitnicki-Wojcik, D. and Chow-Fraser, P. Development of an inventory of Coastal Wetlands for Eastern Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. ISRN Ecology, vol. 2012 Article ID 950173doi:10.5402/2012/950173
4. Cvetkovic, M., Kostuk, K. and Chow-Fraser, P. Influence of gear type on fish catch data and a fish-based index of wetland quality in coastal wetlands of Georgian Bay. North American Journal of Fisheries Management 32:313–324, 2012
5. Midwood, J. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2012. Changes in aquatic vegetation and fish communities following five years of sustained low water levels in coastal marshes of eastern Georgian Bay, Lake Huron. Global Change Biology 18: 93-105.
6. Thomasen, S. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2012. Detecting changes in ecosystem quality following long-term restoration efforts in Cootes Paradise Marsh. Ecological Indicators. 13: 82-92.
7. Smith-Cartwright, L. A. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2011. Application of the index of marsh bird community integrity to coastal wetlands of Georgian Bay and Lake Ontario, Canada. Ecological Indicators. 11: 1482-1486.
8. DeCatanzaro, R. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2011. Effects of landscape variables and season on reference water chemistry of coastal marshes in eastern Georgian Bay. Can. J. Fish Aquat. Sci. 68: 1009-1023.
9. Cvetkovic, M. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2011. Use of ecological indicators to assess the quality of Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Ecological Indicators 11: 1609-1622
10. Seilheimer, T.S., Wei, A. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2011. Changes in fish communities of Lake Ontario coastal wetlands before and after Remedial Action Plans. ISRN Ecology, vol. 2011, Article ID 820529, 11 pages, 2011. doi:10.5402/2011/820529
11. Rokitnicki-Wojcik, D., Wei, A. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2011. Transferability of object-based rule sets for mapping coastal high marsh habitat among different regions in Georgian Bay, Canada. Wetlands Ecol Manage. 19: 223-236. DOI 10.1007/s11273-011-9213-7
12. Midwood, J. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2010. Regional approach to map floating and emergent aquatic vegetation in coastal wetlands of eastern Georgian Bay, Lake Huron, Canada. Wetlands. 30:1141–1152
13. Smith, L.A. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2010. Implications of the species-area relationship on sampling effort and conservation priorities of wetland birds in southern Ontario. Wetlands. 30: 553–56
14. Smith, L. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2010. Impact of adjacent land use and isolation on marsh bird communities. Environmental Management. 45: 1040-1051.
15. DeCatanzaro, R. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2010. Relationship of road density and marsh condition to turtle assemblage characteristics in the Laurentian Great Lakes. J. Great Lakes Research. 36: 357-365.
16. Cvetkovic, M., Wei, A. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2010. Relative importance of macrophyte community versus water-quality variables for predicting fish assemblages in coastal wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes. J. Great Lakes Research. 36: 647-73
17. DeCatanzaro, R., Cvetkovic, M. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2009. The relative importance of road density and physical watershed features in determining coastal marsh water quality in Georgian Bay. Environmental Management 44: 456-467.
18. Croft, M. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2009. Non-random sampling and its role in habitat conservation: a comparison of three wetland macrophyte sampling protocols. Biodiversity and Conservation 18: 2283-2306
19. Seilheimer, T. Mahoney, T. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2009. Comparative study of ecological indices for assessing human-induced disturbance in coastal wetlands of the Laurentian Great Lakes. Ecological Indicators. 9: 81-91
20. Yantsis, S., Chow-Fraser, P. Li, H.O., Chang, J.S., Terui, S., Watanabe, K. and Itoh, M. 2008. Zooplankton Mortality in Lake Water Treated by Pulsed Arc Electrohydraulic Discharge Plasma. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Non-Thermal Plasma Technology for Pollution Control and Sustainable Energy Development, ISNTPT-6, Taiwan. Vol 2 (2): 128-133.
21. Wei, A. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2008. Testing the transferability of a marsh-inundation model across two landscapes. Hydrobiologia. 600: 41-47
22. Seilheimer, T.S. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2007. Application of the Wetland Fish Index to northern Great Lakes marshes with an emphasis on Georgian Bay coastal wetlands. J. Great Lakes Res. 33 (Special Issue 3): 154-171.
23. Croft, M. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2007. Development of the Wetland Macrophyte Index to detect degree of water-quality impairment in Great Lakes coastal marshes. J. Great Lakes Res. 33 (Special Issue 3): 172-197.
24. Seilheimer, T.S. and Wei, A., Chow-Fraser, P. and Eyles, N. 2007. Impact of urbanization on the water quality and fish community of a Lake Ontario marsh, Frenchman’s Bay. Urban Ecology. 10: 299-319
25. Wei, A. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2007. Use of IKONOS imagery to map coastal wetlands of Georgian Bay. Fisheries 32: 167-173.
26. Gillis, P., Wood, C.M., Ranville, J.F., Ross, P.E. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2006. Bioavailability of sediment-associated Cu and Zn to D. magna. Aquat. Toxicol. 77: 402-411.
27. Seilheimer, T. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2006. Development and validation of the Wetland Fish Index to assess the quality of coastal wetlands in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 63: 354-366.
28. Wei, A., and Chow-Fraser, P. 2006. Synergistic impact of water-level fluctuation and invasion of Glyceria on Typha in a freshwater marsh of Lake Ontario. Aquatic Botany 84: 63-69.
29. Kelton, N. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2005. Predictive factors of phosphorus release rates from hypereutrophic marsh sediments: estimating internal loading in Cootes Paradise Marsh. Lakes and Reservoir Management. 21: 223-230.
30. Gillis, P.L., Chow-Fraser P., Ranville J.F., Ross P.E., and Wood, C.M. 2005. Daphnia need to be gut cleared too: The effect of exposure to and ingestion of metal-contaminated sediment on the gut clearance patterns in D. magna. Aquatic Toxicology 71: 143-154.
31. Chow-Fraser, P.2005. Ecosystem response to changes in water level of Lake Ontario marshes: lessons from the restoration of Cootes Paradise Marsh. Hydrobiologia. 539:189–204
32. Wei, A., and Chow-Fraser, P. 2005. Untangling the confounding effects of urbanization and high water level on the cover of emergent vegetation in Cootes Paradise Marsh, a degraded coastal wetland of Lake Ontario. Hydrobiologia 544: 1-9
33. Wei, A., P. Chow-Fraser, and D. Albert. 2004. Influence of shoreline features on fish distribution in the Laurentian Great Lakes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 61: 1113-1123.
34. Kelton, N., Chow-Fraser, P., Jordan, I. 2004. Relationship between sediment phosphorus release rates and characteristics of the benthic microbial community in a hypereutrophic marsh. J. Aquat. Ecosyst. Health and Management. 7: 31-41.
35. Lougheed, V.L., Theÿsmeÿer, T., Smith, T. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2004. Carp exclusion, food-web interactions, and the restoration of Cootes Paradise Marsh. J. Great Lakes Res. 30 (1): 44-57..
36. Eyles, N., Doughty, M., Boyce, J.I., Meriano, M. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2003. Geophysical and sedimnentological assessment of urban impacts in a Lake Ontario watershed and lagoon: Frenchman’s Bay, Pickering, Ontario. Geoscience Canada. 30: 115-128.
37. Angeler, D.G., Chow-Fraser, P., Hanson, M.A., Sanchez-Carillo, S. 2003. Biomnipulation: a useful tool for freshwater wetland mitigation? Freshwater Biology 48: 2203-2213.
38. McNair, S.A. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2003. Change in biomass of benthic and planktonic algae along a disturbance gradient for 24 Great Lakes coastal wetlands. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 60: 676-689.
39. Lougheed, V.L. andChow-Fraser, P. 2002. Development and use of a zooplankton index to monitor wetland quality in the Laurentian Great Lakes basin. Ecological Applications. 12(2):474-486.
40. Lougheed, V.L., Crosbie, B. and Chow-Fraser, P. 2001. Primary determinants of macrophyte community structure in 62 marshes across the Great Lakes basin. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci 58: 1603-1612.
41. Lougheed, V.L., and Chow-Fraser, P. 2001. Spatial variability in the response of lower trophic levels after carp exclusion from a freshwater marsh. J. Aquat. Ecosyst. Stress Recov. 9: 21-34.
42. Crosbie, B. and Chow-Fraser, P. 1999. Percent land use in the watershed determines the water- and sediment-quality of 21 wetlands in the Great Lakes basin. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 56: 1781-1791.
43. Kirkwood, A., P. Chow-Fraser and G. Mierle. 1999. Seasonal mercury levels in phytoplankton and their relationship with algal biomass in two dystrophic Shield lakes. Env. Tox. Chem. 18: 523-532.
44. Chow-Fraser, P. 1999. Seasonal, interannual and spatial variability in the concentrations of total suspended solids in a degraded coastal wetland of L. Ontario. J. Great Lakes Res. 25: 799-813.
45. Chow-Fraser, P.and Albert, D. 1999. Identification of Eco-Reaches of Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands that have high biodiversity values. Discussion paper for SOLEC ’98. Env Canada-USEPA Publication, 88 pp.+ appendices
46. Chow-Fraser, P. 1998. A conceptual ecological model to aid restoration of Cootes Paradise Marsh, a degraded coastal wetland of L. Ontario, Canada. Wetland Ecol. Manage. 6: 43-57.
47. Chow-Fraser, P., Lougheed, V.L., Crosbie, B., LeThiec, V., Simser, L., and Lord, J. 1998. Long-term response of the biotic community to fluctuating water levels and changes in water quality in Cootes Paradise Marsh, a degraded coastal wetland of L. Ontario. Wetland Ecol. Manage. 6: 19-42.
48. Lougheed, V.L., B. Crosbie and P. Chow-Fraser. 1998. Predictions on the effect of carp exclusion on water quality, zooplankton and submergent macropytes in a Great Lakes wetland. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55: 1189-1197.
49. Lougheed, V.L. and P. Chow-Fraser. 1998. Factors that regulate the community structure of a turbid, hypereutrophic Great Lakes wetland. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 55: 150-161.
50. Chow-Fraser, P., B. Crosbie, D. Bryant and B. McCarry. 1996. Potential contribution of nutrients and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from the creeks of Cootes Paradise Marsh. Water Qual. Res. Journal Can. 31(3): 485-503.
51. Chow-Fraser, P.and L. Lukasik. 1995. Cootes Paradise Marsh: community participation in the restoration of a Great Lakes coastal wetland. Restoration and Management Notes. 13(2): 183-189.
52. Chow-Fraser, P., D.O. Trew, D. Findlay and M. Stainton. 1994. A test of hypotheses to explain the sigmoidal relationship between total phosphorus and chlorophyll a concentration in Canadian lakes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 51: 2052-2065.
53. Chow-Fraser, P.and W.G. Sprules. 1992. Type-3 functional response in limnetic suspension-feeders as demonstrated by in situ grazing rates. Hydrobiologia 232: 175-192.
54. Chow-Fraser, P.and E. J. Maly. 1992. Co-existence of two freshwater copepods in lakes through size divergence and diet partitioning. Can. J. Zool. 70: 1016-1028.
55. Chow-Fraser, P.and E.J. Maly. 1991. Factors governing clutch size in two speceis of Diaptomus (Copepoda: Calanoida). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 48: 364-370.
56. Chow-Fraser, P. 1991. Use of the morphoedaphic index to predict nutrient status and algal biomass in some Canadian lakes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 48: 1909-1918.
57. Chow-Fraser, P.and E.J. Maly. 1988. Aspects of mating, reproduction and co-occurrence in three freshwater calanoid copepods. Freshwater Biology 19: 95-108.
58. Chow-Fraser, P.and H.C. Duthie. 1987. Response of the phytoplankton community to weekly additions of monoammonium phosphate. Archiv. Hydrobiol. 110(1): 67-82.
59. Chow-Fraser, P.and W.G. Sprules. 1986. Inhibitory effect of Anabaena sp. on in situ filtering rate of Daphnia. Can. J. Zool. 64: 1831-1834.
60. Chow-Fraser, P. 1986. The effect of handling and acclimation period on the grazing rate of Daphnia and Diaptomus. Hydrobiologia 137: 203-210.
61. Chow-Fraser, P. 1986. Dietary change during development in the freshwater calanoid copepod Epischura lacustris Forbes. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43: 938-944.
62. Chow-Fraser, P. 1986a. An empirical model to predict in situ grazing rate of Diaptomus minutus Lilljeborg on small algal particles. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 43: 1065-1070.
63. Chow-Fraser, P.and R. Knoechel. 1985. Factors regulating in situ filtering rates of Cladocera. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 42: 567-576.
64. Chow-Fraser, P.and C.K. Wong. 1985. Herbivorous feeding of three large calanoid copepods. Verh. Internat. ver. Limnol. 22: 3195-3198.
65. Wong, C.K. and P. Chow-Fraser. 1985. The food of three large freshwater calanoid copepods. Verh. Internat. ver. Limnol. 22: 3190-3194.
66. Chow-Fraser, P.and H.C. Duthie. 1983. An interpretation of phosphorus loadings in dystrophic lakes. Arch. Hydrobiol. 97: 109-121.
67. Chow-Fraser, P.and H.C. Duthie. 1983. Assessment of phosphorus limitation in an oligotrophic lake using radiophosphorus uptake kinetics. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. 40: 817-821.
Books
Other Publications
