Celebrating an NSERC Grant to Support Food Web Research

We’re pleased to share that Dr. Chris Brimacombe, a newly-arrived Postdoctoral Fellow here at the Centre for Ecosystem Management (CEM), has been awarded a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) grant to support his research on ecological networks, particularly food webs. This recognition highlights his significant contributions to understanding how ecosystems function and respond to environmental changes while also providing the necessary funding to continue his research efforts.

Dr. Chris Brimacombe is shown here making the most of his leisure time as he takes in the sweeping vistas of Machu Picchu, Peru.

Food webs, which depict feeding relationships between species, serve as essential tools for predicting ecosystem resilience and guiding conservation efforts. The rise of online food web databases has revolutionized ecological research, allowing scientists to analyze ecosystems they may never directly observe. However, these datasets often contain inconsistencies due to variations in sampling methods—such as spatial and temporal scales—and taxonomic classifications, which can introduce biases and affect study outcomes.

Dr. Brimacombe tackled this critical issue in his PhD research, demonstrating how methodological inconsistencies across datasets influence ecological analyses. “The way we collect and classify food web data isn’t always standardized, which can create challenges when comparing ecosystems,” he explains. His findings have emphasized the urgent need for improved data integration methods to ensure more accurate ecological conclusions.

Datasets often contain inconsistencies due to variations in sampling methods, which can introduce biases and affect study outcomes.

Building on this work, his current postdoctoral research seeks to quantify the impact of these methodological differences on food web structures and develop solutions to enhance data reliability. By analyzing hundreds of food webs from global repositories, he aims to assess how variations in sampling duration, spatial extent, and taxonomic classification affect key network properties. The ultimate goal is to provide guidelines and tools that correct for these discrepancies, ensuring that food web studies are more accurate and comparable across different ecosystems.

Receiving this NSERC funding is a testament to the importance and impact of Dr. Brimacombe’s research. This recognition not only celebrates his dedication to ecological science but also reinforces the need for robust, standardized methodologies in food web studies. As large-scale ecological research continues to grow, his work will play a vital role in refining the tools scientists use to understand biodiversity and conservation. Congratulations, Dr. Brimacombe!