Evaluating zooplankton community responses to aquaculture wastewater using eDNA metabarcoding and morphological identification
| dc.contributor.author | Dickenson, Leah | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Loseto, Lisa (Environment and Geography) | |
| dc.contributor.examiningcommittee | Docker, Margaret (Biological Sciences) | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Palace, Vince | |
| dc.contributor.supervisor | Hanson, Mark | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-06-06T18:34:02Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-06-06T18:34:02Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-04-23 | |
| dc.date.submitted | 2025-04-23T20:17:01Z | en_US |
| dc.date.submitted | 2025-06-06T17:34:55Z | en_US |
| dc.degree.discipline | Environment and Geography | |
| dc.degree.level | Master of Science (M.Sc.) | |
| dc.description.abstract | Inland aquaculture wastewater (AWW) is nutrient-rich due to the high stocking densities of cultivated organisms and intensive feeding inputs. Finding sustainable wastewater management strategies is critical as aquaculture is the fastest-growing food production system globally. Using aquaculture wastewater as a fertilizer for wild rice cultivation presents a potential solution since wild rice requires high nitrogen and phosphorus for sufficient growth. However, this raises concerns about possible impacts on aquatic ecosystems within the wild rice system or on receiving environments of the flooded paddy drainage. For instance, the high nutrient concentration of AWW can contribute to eutrophication and deterioration of water quality, and ammonia and metals within the AWW can result in significant toxicological effects. This research assessed the ecological effects of AWW on ecosystem health, using zooplankton communities as biological indicators within mesocosms planted with wild rice. Three experiments were conducted in different simulated Northern wild rice (Zizania palustris) ecosystems: established wild rice wetlands (UM-EW), natural wild rice stands (UM-WR), and commercial paddies (R&L). AWW was applied to treatment mesocosms across a gradient of loadings. Environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding was used to analyze the zooplankton communities and was compared to standard morphological identifications to determine the efficacy of this emerging method. At environmentally relevant AWW loadings, the effects on zooplankton communities were minimal. However, calanoid copepods in the R&L study exhibited a significant sensitivity to AWW exposure. In high AWW loading treatments, increased eutrophication and declining water quality led to shifts in zooplankton community dynamics. Ammonia and metal toxicity were not identified as primary drivers of these changes. Using eDNA metabarcoding proved highly effective in achieving significant taxonomic depth of the zooplankton taxa present. While community composition results did vary between methods, similar trends and responses were observed. Additionally, using designed targeted primer sets rather than a universal primer provided a more comprehensive assessment of the zooplankton community. This research advances our understanding of AWW impacts on aquatic ecosystems and demonstrates the potential of eDNA metabarcoding for biodiversity monitoring. These findings will help inform future wild rice-AWW systems of acceptable nutrient loadings to minimize ecosystem impacts. | |
| dc.description.note | October 2025 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/39101 | |
| dc.language.iso | eng | |
| dc.subject | Zooplankton | |
| dc.subject | Water Quality | |
| dc.subject | eDNA metabarcoding | |
| dc.subject | Nutrient loading | |
| dc.subject | Wild rice | |
| dc.title | Evaluating zooplankton community responses to aquaculture wastewater using eDNA metabarcoding and morphological identification | |
| local.subject.manitoba | yes | |
| oaire.awardNumber | 581618-2023 | |
| oaire.awardTitle | Canada Graduate Scholarships - Master's | |
| oaire.awardURI | https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/students-etudiants/pg-cs/cgsm-bescm_eng.asp | |
| project.funder.identifier | https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000038 | |
| project.funder.name | Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada |