Chris McKindsey

My research interests include basic and applied ecology issues in coastal areas. I currently have research programmes on aquaculture-environment interactions, exotic species, and intertidal ecology. Work on aquaculture focuses on developing a predictive model for benthic loading related to bivalve culture to estimate benthic effects, understanding the influence of bivalve culture on ecosystem biodiversity and productivity, and the ecosystem services (nutrient regeneration) provided by bivalve culture. Work on exotic species includes examining the importance of an exotic alga (Codium fragile) on eelgrass communities, better understanding the role of propagule pressure related to international shipping and small craft on the establishment of exotic species, and the importance of aquaculture on the establishment of exotic species and their impact on aquaculture and the surrounding environment. Intertidal ecology work concentrates on better understanding mussel recruitment and spatial variation in benthic communities and the mechanisms that may account for this. Our lab is very active and dynamic and most of the research we do is based on MSc and PhD research projects in collaboration with various people in our research group in DFO here at IML and elsewhere, universities, and other research institutes.