Research Team >> M.Sc. Students >> Krista Larsen

KRISTA LARSEN (2012-PRESENT)

After graduating from the University of Calgary (B.Sc. in Biological Sciences), and not being quite sure what I wanted to do next, I worked as a research assistant for Dr. Bill Tonn's lab at the University of Alberta. Collecting various baseline data for a fish habitat compensation project, which took place in pristine arctic lakes and streams, was an amazing experience and the beginning of my love for aquatic systems. I proceeded to work for one year as an Environmental Consultant specializing in turbidity monitoring and drilling materials management for pipeline river crossings. I joined Dr. Jackson's lab in order to further my education and learn more about aquatic ecology. My M.Sc. project will focus on the population genetics of a nuisance alga, Didymosphenia geminata (Didymo). Didymo cells produce stalk material under very low nutrient conditions forming mats that cover river and streambeds. The ecological impacts of these mats, and the mechanisms behind their production, are not fully known and I propose to explore the genetic variation within and between populations in Alberta, Alaska and on Vancouver Island in order to better understand the ecology and evolution of the species. Didymo is of specific interest to me as I grew up on Vancouver Island swimming in the same rivers where the first Didymo blooms in North America were found.