PALEOLIMNOLOGY AS A QUANTITATIVE INDICATOR OF ECOSYSTEM VULNERABILITY by Victoria Watson Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Environmental Studies at Dalhousie University Halifax, Nova Scotia July 2021 © Copyright by Victoria Watson, 2021 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. iv LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................................................. v ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... vii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS USED .............................................................................. viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ................................................................................................ ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................ 1 1.1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Overview of the problem to be addressed ...................................................................................... 3 1.1.2 Primary data research purpose and objectives ............................................................................... 4 1.2 LITERATURE REVIEW .............................................................................................................. 5 1.2.1 Sable Island National Park Reserve ............................................................................................... 6 1.2.2 Paleolimnology ............................................................................................................................ 10 1.2.3 Ecological vulnerability ............................................................................................................... 14 1.3 RESEARCH SITES ................................................................................................................... 16 1.3.1 Sable Island National Park Reserve ............................................................................................. 16 1.3.2 Landscape .................................................................................................................................... 17 1.3.3 Naturalized horses ........................................................................................................................ 18 1.3.3 Pond PD67 ................................................................................................................................... 19 1.3.4 Pond PD03 ................................................................................................................................... 20 1.4 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER 2: THE VALUE OF PALEOLIMNOLOGY IN RECONSTRUCTING AND MANAGING ECOSYSTEM VULNERABILITY: A SYSTEMATIC MAP ................... 30 2.1 STATEMENT OF STUDENT CONTRIBUTIONS .......................................................................... 30 2.2 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. 30 2.3 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 31 2.4 METHODS .............................................................................................................................. 35 2.4.1 Search strategy ............................................................................................................................. 35 2.4.2 Inclusion criteria .......................................................................................................................... 36 2.4.3 Article selection process .............................................................................................................. 37 2.4.4 Analysis ........................................................................................................................................ 37 2.5 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................ 38 2.5.1 To what extent is capacity covered in the paleolimnology and vulnerability literature? ............ 40 2.5.2 To what extent is adaptation covered in the paleolimnology and vulnerability literature? ......... 40 2.6 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................... 43 2.6.1 The role of paleolimnology in vulnerability assessment ............................................................. 45 2.6.2 Ecological integrity ...................................................................................................................... 48 2.6.3 Reference conditions and ecosystem monitoring ......................................................................... 49 2.6.4 Establishing management goals ................................................................................................... 52 2.6.5 Creating targets for ecosystem restoration ................................................................................... 54 2.7 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 56 2.8 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 58 ii CHAPTER 3: A PALEOLIMNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ECOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY AND MANAGEMENT OF FRESHWATER ECOSYSTEMS OF SABLE ISLAND NATIONAL PARK RESERVE, CANADA ........................................ 70 3.1 STATEMENT OF STUDENT CONTRIBUTION ............................................................................ 70 3.2 ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................................. 70 3.3 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................................... 71 3.4 STUDY SITE ........................................................................................................................... 74 3.5 METHODS .............................................................................................................................. 76 3.5.1 Field sampling .............................................................................................................................. 76 3.5.2 Laboratory analysis ...................................................................................................................... 77 3.5.3 Statistical and numerical methods ............................................................................................... 78 3.6 RESULTS ................................................................................................................................ 79 3.6.1 Chronology .................................................................................................................................. 79 3.6.2 Chironomid assemblages ............................................................................................................. 80 3.6.3 Water quality ................................................................................................................................ 86 3.7 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................................... 87 3.7.1 Ecosystem changes ...................................................................................................................... 88 3.7.2 Causes of ecosystem stress .......................................................................................................... 90 3.7.2 Vulnerability and implications for management .......................................................................... 92 3.8 CONCLUSION ......................................................................................................................... 94 3.9 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................................... 97 CHAPTER 4: CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 107 4.1 STATEMENT OF STUDENT CONTRIBUTION .......................................................................... 107 4.2 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................... 107 4.3 THE VALUE OF PALEOLIMNOLOGY IN RECONSTRUCTING AND MANAGING ECOSYSTEM VULNERABILITY: KEY INSIGHTS .............................................................................................. 107 4.4 A PALEOLIMNOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE OF ECOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY OF LAKES IN SABLE ISLAND NATIONAL PARK RESERVE, CANADA: KEY INSIGHTS ..................................... 108 4.5 FINAL THOUGHTS AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS ..................................................................... 110 4.6 REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................... 113 REFERENCE ..................................................................................................................