Hugh MacIsaac

Professor
Department of Fisheries and Oceans Invasive Species Research Chair
Director, Canadian Aquatic Invasive Species Network (CAISN)

Phone: 519-253-3000 x3754 Office: GLIER Rm 134
E-mail Me

Education:
Ph.D. 1990, Department of Biology, Darmouth College, Hanover, NH, USA
M.Sc. 1986, Botany Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
B.Sc. 1983, Department of Biology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada

Past Academic Positions:

• Associate Professor, Biology Department, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada. 1997-2000
  
• Assistant Professor, Biology Department, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON, Canada. 1992-1997
  
• NSERC Postdoctoral fellow, Zoology Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada, 1990-1992.

Research Interests:
We are interested in a broad variety of questions pertaining to invasion biology, particularly with respect to aquatic ecosystems (inland lakes, Great Lakes, marine estuaries). While most of our tests are based on aquatic organisms, we occasionally stray from this model and utilize terrestrial taxa or systems. Our questions range from fundamental questions such as what determinants affect species invasion patterns in general, to more applied topics such as how can we best prevent ship-mediated invasions of the Great Lakes or spread of species to inland lakes.

Recent and Selected Publications:

Steinberg*, A., J. Ejsmont-Karabin, J.R. Muirhead* and HJ. MacIsaac. 2009. Spatial and temporal stability of rotifer communities. Hydrobiologia 624:107-114.

Jacobs*, M.J. and H.J. MacIsaac. 2008. Modeling spread of the invasive macrophyte Cabomba caroliniana. Freshwater Biology 54:296-305.

Ellis*, S. and H.J. MacIsaac. 2008. Salinity tolerance of Great Lakes’ invaders. Freshwater Biology 45:77-89.

Ricciardi, A. and H.J. MacIsaac. 2008. Is current ballast water exchange policy sufficient to protect the Great Lakes from ship-vectored invasions? Ecological Applications 18:1321-1323.

Ricciardi, A. and H.J. MacIsaac. 2008. The rise of invasion ecology. Charles Elton’s fifty year old text is now cited more than ever. Nature 452:34.

Herborg*, L.-M., N.E. Mandrak, B.C. Cudmore & H.J. MacIsaac. 2007. Comparative distribution and invasion risk of snakehead (Channidae) and Asian carp (Cyprinidae) species in North America. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 64:1723-1735.

Current Research Projects:

• Hull fouling as a mechanism of introduction of species
• Ballast water treatment
• Invasion theory
• Genetic structure of invading species

Current Graduate Students:

• Johanna Bradie (M.Sc. candidate – GLIER)
• Elizabeta Briski (Ph.D. candidate – GLIER)
• Farrah Chan (M.Sc. candidate – GLIER)
• Sara Ghabooli (Ph.D. candidate – GLIER)
• Tony Wang (M.Sc. candidate – GLIER)
  

current post-doctoral fellows:

• Francisco Sylvester

Link to CV

Personal Website

CAISN Website