Jennifer Skilton
PhD Student
In March 2010, Christchurch’s Avon-Heathcote estuary experienced a large (~90 %) reduction in nutrient loading due to the diversion of wastewater to an ocean outfall. This event provided a unique opportunity to examine recovery thresholds and overall ecosystem rehabilitation following the diversion. In particular, my project focuses on the invertebrate communities present within the estuary, examining how they respond to the reduction in N-loading and the role they play in accelerating the recovery of this estuary. I am monitoring spatial and temporal shifts in the abundance and distribution of key species, applying stable isotopes to examine changes in food webs post-diversion and using benthic chamber experiments to examine relationships between bioturbation and biogeochemical flux across a eutrophication gradient.
Prior to beginning my PhD at Canterbury I completed a BSc(hons) in Ecology at Otago University where I became interested in soft-sediment ecology after working in Fiordland’s deep basins during my honours year.
MERG Presentations
NZMSS, Wellington, Victoria University of Wellington, 2010