PALEOLIMNOLOGY AS A QUANTITATIVE INDICATOR OF ECOSYSTEM VULNERABILITY

Abstract

External stressors to freshwater systems present challenges for management. Stress can exacerbate ecosystem vulnerability, which is a result of numerous components, making quantifying vulnerability logistically difficult. The purpose of this research was to understand the use of paleolimnology as an effective method of quantifying vulnerability in freshwater ecosystems to inform management decisions. A systematic map revealed that using paleolimnology to discuss the concept of vulnerability is an emerging field and can provide a clearer lens of changes over time. To demonstrate this, we examined two ponds on Sable Island National Park Reserve, where historic ecosystem changes were inferred based on changes in biological indicators preserved in lacustrine sediments. The ponds demonstrate inherent vulnerability to impacts from a large horse population, global environmental change, and shifting island morphology. Quantifying ecosystem vulnerability on Sable Island is essential for management decisions and promotes the application of a paleolimnological perspective in further vulnerability research.