Long-term ecological change in Lake Scugog (Ontario) inferred from lake sediment cores: Current ecosystem changes in Lake Scugog evaluated in an historical context.

In 2017, the Scugog Lake Stewards were awarded an Ontario Trillium Foundation Grow Grant to study the ecology of Lake Scugog, to provide insights into ecosystem stressors that present a challenge to walleye conservation and lake restoration. As part of this, York University initiated a paleolimnological study, led by Profs. Korosi and Thienpont, to document the ecological changes that have occurred in Lake Scugog since it was formed in the mid-19th century following the construction of the Lindsay Dam. Sediment cores were collected from two locations: (1) the deepest point of the eastern arm of the lake, and (2) near the town of Port Perry. The original objective of this study was to infer long-term trends in lake habitat, food web structure, thermal regime, productivity, and oxygen using fossil remains of three different groups of ecological indicators (diatoms, chironomids, and Cladocera) and nitrogen stable isotopes. A secondary objective, to infer long-term trends in cyanobacteria in Port Perry Bay was added to the project after Microcystis blooms were documented in 2017 by Ontario Tech University.