Heidi Swanson, M.Sc.
PhD. Candidate (January 2006 - Present)

Research Description
My research is investigating how anadromous Arctic char affect food chain structure and contaminant concentrations in freshwater lakes on the Arctic coast. Anadromous Arctic char make annual migrations to the sea where they may accumulate high concentrations of contaminants and transport them back to freshwater lakes. They may also effect top-down and bottom-up changes in food web structure in freshwater lakes. Field work is beginning in the summer 2006 and will involve whole food-web collections on 4 lakes near Hope Bay, Nunavut.

Education:
BSc Queen's University
MSc University of Alberta

Awards and Grants:
NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship (January 2006-December 2007)
Northern Scientific Training Program Grant (February 2006)
Canadian Northern Studies Trust Scholarship (May 2006)
Research and Development Grant (Miramar Hope Bay Ltd.) (May 2006)

Conference Presentations:
Swanson, H.K., T.A. Johnston, D.W. Schindler, R.A. Cunjak, and D.M. Whittle. 2003. Mercury bioaccumulation in forage fish communities invaded by rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). Oral presentation at the Canadian Conference for Fisheries Research, St. John’s, NFLD, Jan. 6-10, 2004.

Swanson, H.K., T.A. Johnston, D.W. Schindler, R.A. Cunjak, and D.M. Whittle. 2003. Mercury concentrations in forage fishes: A growth story. Oral presentation  at the American Fisheries Society Meeting, Quebec City, Quebec, August 10–13, 2003.

Swanson, H.K.,T.A. Johnston, D.W. Schindler, R.A. Cunjak, R.A. Bodaly, and D.M. Whittle. 2003. Time since invasion and lake productivity as ecological determinants of the effects of rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) invasion on boreal lakes. Oral presentationat the Canadian Conference for Fisheries Research, Ottawa, ON, Jan. 2-5, 2003

Publications:
Swanson, Heidi K., Thomas A. Johnston, David W. Schindler, R. Andrew Bodaly, and D. Michael Whittle. 2006. Mercury bioaccumulation in forage fish communities invaded by rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax). Environmental Science and Technology. 40: 1439-1446.

Swanson, H.K., T.A. Johnston, W.C. Leggett, R.A. Bodaly, R.R. Doucett, and R.A. Cunjak. 2003. Trophic positions and mercury concentrations in rainbow smelt and native forage fishes in northwestern Ontario lakes. Ecosystems. 6: 289-299.

Johnston, T.A., W.C. Leggett, R.A. Bodaly, R.R. Doucett, R.A. Cunjak, and H.K. Swanson. 2003. Temporal changes in mercury bioaccumulation by predatory fishes of boreal lakes following the invasion of an exotic forage fish. Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry. 22(9): 2057-2062.