Pond Biodiversity in Montreal

Biodiversity, ecology and typology of ponds and small lakes of Montreal City -Group for Interuniversity Research in Limnology and Aquatic Environment (GRIL) – Université de Montréal

Biodiversity is an essential characteristic to consider when elaborating sustainable management and conservation plans for urban water bodies. The latter is determined by the diversity and environmental quality of pond and lake ecosystems in urban settings, two variables still rarely assessed in North America.

The project’s main objective is to qualify biodiversity and aquatic community structures in 20 urban water bodies of the City of Montreal. The ultimate goal is to define biological indicators associated with habitat quality that respond to environmental factor changes and landscape/management techniques.

In fact, Montreal urban water bodies support a rich biodiversity composed of plankton, macro-invertebrates, and different community structures. The main environmental factors associated with variability of diversity and community structures are: water body source, presence of macrophytes and fish, trophic level and landscape/management techniques. In order to preserve biodiversity in these water bodies, we recommend the following actions: maintaining shore vegetation and variability in water body type, and adopting optimal landscape/management practices.