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The next presentation will be given by Eva mclennan from the Department of Biology. Eva's presentation is titled How The Shapes We Build Shape Ecosystems.

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57 million square meters three times the area of the Liwan territory referred to as Victoria BC. That's how much extra intertidal real estate we've created on structures like these at major shipping ports around the world. And that doesn't include any of the smaller docks, marinas, seawalls and breakwaters that pepper the coasts. The real number is many times greater. So much extra space and organisms are growing there. But are these communities reminiscent of the natural ones on rocky shores? I've been going out to these sites along with their natural neighbors to catalog who lives there. And so far they're completely different artificial structures like these ones don't mimic natural environments very well. They're smooth and don't house crevices for squishy creatures like sea stars and an enemies to hide in. They're made of different materials often treated with harsh chemicals. They're typically associated with broad flat structures which shade the water below limiting the ability of algae at the base of the food chain to grow and produce food for the rest of the ecosystem. The next time you're near one of these structures, take a look, instead of a balanced biodiverse community of algae, sensitive squishy creatures like those an enemies and tough, hard bodied species like barnacles and mussels. You'll mostly see the hard ones here and what an organism is made of determines what it demands from its environment. My research looks at communities as pools of elements, carbon nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and that's what I'm investigating. Next. 57 million square meters three Victorias where a whole lot of essential elements are being hoarded. These organisms wouldn't be here if these structures didn't exist. As far as the rest of the ecosystem is concerned, they act as a sink of essential nutrients. I'm processing my samples now to figure out exactly which elements their bodies are hoarding, which can tell me something about how they influence the way nutrients move through coastal ecosystems and whether they threaten nearby natural reefs by demanding too much from a shared water source. Understanding the pressure they place on nutrient cycles can inform management and engineering decisions to promote healthy, balanced biodiverse communities. How we shape literally shape our world determines the identity and health of our aquatic neighbors. Thank you.