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Marina Taskovic
MSc student
Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta BSc Trent University Email: taskovic@ualberta.ca My research focuses on aquatic food webs responses to organic carbon release from permafrost thaw slumps on the Peel Plateau, NT. I aim to assess how the quality and quantity of organic material entering fluvial networks from slumps affects microbial community composition and carbon processing. Further, I will explore whether changes to food web resources affect energy transfer between trophic positions using macroinvertebrate communities. The motivation behind my research stems from the time at Trent University where I studied biology and sustainable agricultural food systems for my bachelor’s degree. During my time at Trent, I grew fascinated by the connectivity between the environment and living organisms through the cycling of elements while learning about integrated farming systems and ecological stoichiometry. I developed a particularly strong interest in freshwater systems because of their role as landscape integrators between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, their role in global carbon cycling, and their significance as an essential human resource. Some of my favorite hobbies include gardening, kayaking, free hand embroidery, baking (and eating) bagels. |