Charlie Loewen
Affiliations
Assistant Professor
Contact information
Background
Educational Background
PhD Ecology, University of Alberta, 2017
BSc Environmental Biology, University of Alberta, 2008
Biography
I am a biologist with broad research interests in freshwater community ecology and the consequences of environmental change. I completed both my undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Alberta, studied as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Toronto, and served as an assistant professor in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology at Iowa State University before joining the faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Calgary. I have also worked as a government scientist and environmental consultant, experiences that have informed my perspective on applied science and research collaboration.
Research
Areas of Research
My lab integrates theory-driven, field-based experiments, observational studies, remote sensing, and large data syntheses to learn about freshwater ecosystems. We study a range of organisms (from microscopic algae to invertebrates and fish), with a focus on how communities at the base of aquatic food webs respond to environmental changes. I am especially interested in how multiple stressors interact to influence biodiversity, species interactions, ecosystem functioning, and the ecosystem services on which people depend.
Current areas of research include investigating the drivers and management of harmful algal blooms, testing the impacts of road salt and other pollutants on urban pond and stream communities, optimizing the ecological functioning and co-benefits of constructed or restored water quality wetlands, understanding the cumulative effects of climate and land cover changes for mountain lakes and downstream waters, and developing predictive models to explain broadscale biodiversity patterns and, ultimately, inform effective conservation actions and policies.
Publications
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