Silviya Ivanova
Post-Doctoral Fellow
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research
Research
My research interests are in the field of conservation, resource management and traditional ecological knowledge, especially as these pertain to aquatic environments and species. During my Master of Environmental Science (GLIER, University of Windsor – Dr. Aaron Fisk) I studied how acoustic anthropogenic disturbance caused by increasing vessel traffic in the high Canadian Arctic affected the key forage fish, Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida). The use of acoustic telemetry allowed me to examine these effects on a fine scale in the species’ natural environment. The project was part of the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN) Canada.
For my dissertation I examined top predator interactions in large lakes and how those affect species restoration. My model species was Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush), native to my model lake Lake Ontario, and the introduced Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Drawing upon my experience with acoustic telemetry, the objectives of my research were to examine habitat and behavior choices of the two species, and understand the spatial overlap and the nature of the interactions between Chinook Salmon and Lake Trout. I also used bioenergetics modelling for the two species to understand the current growth states and predict for future climate warming scenarios. The current growth states were interpreted with the interactions of the two species in mind to understand the nature of the interactions and potential effects on Lake Trout rehabilitation.
For my post-doctoral research, I expanded the scope of my questions to the ecosystem scale and beyond. For the first project, including as many as 19 species, my main questions are centered on multi-species interactions, biodiversity hotspots across the entire Lake Ontario and the associated environmental envelope. To obtain telemetry data for the past decade (2010- 2021), I’m collaborating with researchers and scientists from Carleton University, OMNDF, DFO, USFWS, USGS, GLATOS, and Trent University. I am employing machine learning species distribution models for the analysis of the data. For my secondary project, my questions are centered around rapid adaptation to novel environments (physico-chemical, novel prey or predators, etc.) and adaptation potential. Using Chinook salmon as the model species, I aim to 1) quantify the species the genetic drift for current Great Lakes stocks by comparing to origin population in the Pacific region; 2) understand the linked interaction between gene flow and environment, and 3) estimate the relative effect each of those has on trait expression, including morphology, phenotype and spatial behaviour.
Background
2022-Present Post-Doctoral Research Fellow SOE, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON DFW, Michigan State University, East Lansing MI Advisors: Dr. Aaron Fisk (UofWindsor), Dr. Tim Johnson (OMNRF) & Dr. Chris Vandergoot (MSU)
2017-2021 Ph.D. Environmental Science Candidate GLIER, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON Supervisors: Dr. Aaron Fisk (UofWindsor) & Dr. Tim Johnson (OMNRF)
2016-2017 Lake Erie Millennium Network Coordinator / Research Assistant University of Windsor, Windsor, ON
2014-2016 M.Sc. Environmental Science GLIER, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON Supervisors: Dr. Aaron Fisk (GLIER) & Kim Nelson (Cinema Arts)
2014 Research Assistant GLIER, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON
2011-2014 B.Sc. (Honours) – Joint Degree in Biological Sciences and Communications, Media and Film University of Windsor, Windsor, ON
Publications
Shorgan MB, Reid HB, Ivanova SV, Fisk AT, Cooke SJ, Raby GD. Validation of a new acoustic telemetry transmitter for the study of predation events in small fishes. Journal of Fish Biology. Accepted May 2024.
Semeniuk CAD, …, Ivanova SV, …, Febria CM. On Increasing Equity and Inclusion of EarlyCareer Professionals in Canadian Fisheries and Aquatic Science Societies. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. In review. (cjfas-2024-0033).
Ivanova SV, Fisk AT, Johnson TB (2024). Realized thermal niche approach eliminates temperature bias in bioenergetic model estimates. Ecology and Evolution. 10.1002/ece3.10974 Ivanova SV, Fisk AT, Johnson TB (2024). Bioenergetics and growth of two top predators in a warming freshwater ecosystem. Journal of Great Lakes Research. 10.1016/j.jglr.2024.102310
Ivanova SV, Raby G, Johnson TB, Larocque SM, Fisk AT (2022). Effects of life stage on the spatial ecology of Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) during pelagic freshwater foraging. Fisheries Research. 10.1016/j.fishres.2022.106395
Ivanova SV, Johnson TB, Fisk AT (2021). Convergence and synchrony in the migration ecology of potamodromous top predator. TAFS. 10.1002/tafs.10325
Ivanova SV, Larocque S, Johnson TB, Fisk AT (2021). Spatio-temporal interactions of native and introduced salmonid top predators in a large lake: Implications for species restoration. CJFAS. 10.1139/cjfas-2020-0447.
Marsden JE, ...., Ivanova SV, ..., Cooke SJ (2020). Using untapped biotelemetry data to explore the winter biology of freshwater fish. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries. 10.1007/s11160-021-09634-2.
Ivanova SV, Johnson TB, Metcalfe B, Fisk AT (2021). Spatial distribution of lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) across seasonal thermal cycles in a large lake. Freshwater Biology. 10.1111/fwb.13665.
Klinard NV, Matley JK, Ivanova SV, Larocque SM, Fisk AT, Johnson TB (2020). Application of machine learning to identify predators of stocked fish using acoustic telemetry predation tags. Journal of Fish Biology. 10.1111/jfb.14574.
Kessel ST, Crawford RE, Hussey NE, Ivanova SV, Holden JP, Fisk AT (2021). Size class segregation of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida) in a shallow high Arctic embayment. Arctic Science. 10.1139/AS-2019-0005.
Ivanova SV, Kessel ST, Vagle S, Espinoza M, McLean M, O’Neill C, Landry J, Hussey NE, Fisk AT (2020). Shipping alters the movement and behavior of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), a keystone fish in Arctic marine ecosystems. Ecological Applications. 10.1002/eap.2050.
Ivanova SV, Kessel ST, Landry JJ, O’Neill C, McLean MF, Espinoza M, Hussey NE, Vagle S, Fisk AT (2018). Impact of vessel traffic on the home ranges and movement of Shorthorn Sculpin (Myoxocephalus scorpius) in the nearshore environment of the high Arctic. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 10.1139/cjfas-2017-0418.
Landry J, Kessel ST, McLean M, Ivanova SV, Hussey NE, O’Neill C, Fisk AT (2018). Movement Patterns of an Arctic benthic fish during open water periods in response to biotic and abiotic factors. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences. 10.1139/cjfas2017-0389.
Dissertations:
Ivanova SV (2022). Spatial and temporal dynamics of top predators in a large lake. PhD Dissertation. Windsor, Canada. University of Windsor.
Ivanova SV (2016). Effects of acoustic disturbance caused by ship traffic on common fish species in the high Arctic. MSc Thesis. Windsor, Canada. University of Windsor.
Publications (reports, non-peer reviewed):
Ivanova SV, Fisk A, Johnson T. (2022) Lake Trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) growth in Lake Ontario in a warming climate. 2021 Annual report of the Lake Ontario Management Unit.
Rupnik A, Johnson T, Fisk A, ... Ivanova SV, ... (2022) Inter-basin movement of fish revealed by acoustic telemetry. 2021 Annual report of the Lake Ontario Management Unit.
Ivanova SV, Fisk A, Johnson T. (2021) Informing Lake Trout restoration in Lake Ontario based on interactions with other top predators in time and space. 2020 Annual report of the Lake Ontario Management Unit.
Rupnik A, Johnson T, Fisk A, ... Ivanova SV, ... (2021) Lake Ontario inter-basin fish movement revealed by acoustic telemetry. 2020 Annual report of the Lake Ontario Management Unit.
Ivanova SV, Fisk A, Johnson T. (2020) Informing Lake Trout restoration in Lake Ontario based on interactions with other top predators in time and space. 2019 Annual report of the Lake Ontario Management Unit.
Ivanova SV, Fisk A, Johnson T. (2019) Informing Lake Trout restoration in Lake Ontario based on interactions with other top predators in time and space. 2018 Annual report of the Lake Ontario Management Unit.
Ivanova SV, Fisk A, Johnson T, Metcalf B. (2018) Combining traditional ecological knowledge with cutting edge technology to inform Lake Trout restoration in Lake Ontario. 2017 Annual report of the Lake Ontario Management Unit.
Conference Proceedings edited: Ivanova, S.V., J.J.H. Ciborowski, C. Winslow, R. Kreis, C. Marvin and J.M. Reutter (Editors). 2017. Proceedings of the Eighth Binational Meeting of the Lake Erie Millennium Network The Status of Lake Erie: Understanding the Nearshore and its Connections. University of Windsor. 21-23 February 2017. Windsor, ON.