#25 On the resurgence of wetlands and the ecology of Phragmites biocontrol with Rebecca Rooney

In today’s episode, we are speaking with Professor Rebecca Rooney of the University of Waterloo. Rebecca is a wetland ecologist who specializes in studying the influence of human disturbances, such as the introduction of invasive or non-native species, on wetland ecosystem function. Her research includes both fundamental, curiosity-driven science as well as policy-relevant field work and applications that inform wetland restoration and conservation efforts across Canada.

In our chat, Rebecca shared some of her research that has examined wetlands from a biophysical perspective, scaling from micro to macro levels of the ecosystem, as well as some of her social science work that examined public perception of different forms of wetlands. We also talked about the significant loss of wetlands that has occurred as a result of development across Canada, as well as the rising appreciation of wetlands for their role in the mitigation of climate change and current adaptation efforts. A big chunk of our conversation was devoted to the invasive species, Phragmites australis, or the invasive Common Reed. Rebecca has been studying phragmites for several years and is now spearheading an exciting biocontrol project aimed at the control of phragmites in North America.

Rebecca's website