It
was only to year ago that the human population started to have a greater impact
in causing environmental change than other factors such as volcanic activity.
Now environmental change, occurring at increasing rates, is dominated by the
actions of humans. Because the
majority of humans live close to rivers or oceans, estuaries and coastal regions
are the major sites of human impact on aquatic sytems.
These regions have become eutrophic, hypoxic or even anoxic resulting in
marked reduction in biomass and biodiversity. An appointment in environmental
physiology investigating the functional relationship or organisms to their
environment is central to understanding how environmental change will affect
biological communities. Understanding how individual organisms respond to
extreme conditions not only gives insight into the capacity of animals to
respond to these changing conditions, but also develops a database to aid in
predicting the effects of environmental change on populations.
This information is central to the development of all forms of
aquaculture. A world-class aquatic facility is available at the West Vancouver
Laboratory, and additional facilities are available at Bamfield
Marine Station
The Zoology Department at UBC was a world leader in this field. The group requires rebuilding and replacement of senior people with young people working in new and exciting areas.