Tarn Preet Parmar, Dr. rer. nat. Academic Staff
I obtained my B.Sc. from York University (Toronto, Canada) in 2015, completing my thesis under the guidance of Dr. Lewis Molot examining the role of iron in regulating cyanobacterial blooms. I obtained my M.Sc. from Toronto Metropolitan University (Toronto, Canada; formerly Ryerson University) in 2018 under the guidance of Dr. Michael Arts. My thesis focused on factors that can influence the quantity and nutritional quality of freshwater biofilm. During my MSc, I had many academic jobs as a teaching assistant, lecture marker, and instructor for various undergraduate courses. I started my PhD studies at the University of Konstanz (Konstanz, Germany) in 2018 under the supervision of PD Dr. Dominik Martin-Creuzburg. I completed my dissertation in 2023, which focused on emergent aquatic insects and their nutritional importance to terrestrial predators. Since 2022, I am an academic staff member of the Department of Aquatic Ecology at the BTU Bad Saarow Research Station.
| 2022 - | Academic Staff, BTU Cottbus-Senftenberg (Germany) |
| 2018 - 2023 | PhD, Aquatic Ecology, Limnological Institute, University of Konstanz (Germany) Dissertation: “Aquatic-terrestrial linkages: export of polyunsaturated fatty acids from aquatic ecosystems via emerging insects and potential consequences for terrestrial invertebrate consumers” |
| 2015 - 2018 | MSc, Molecular Science, Ryerson University (Canada) Thesis: “Environmental Factors Regulate the Fatty Acid Content of Primary Producers and Consumers in a Freshwater Pond in a Warming World” |
| 2018 | Instructor, Ryerson University (Canada) |
| 2016 - 2018 | Graduate Lecture Marker, Ryerson University (Canada) |
| 2015 - 2018 | Graduate Laboratory Teaching Assistant, Ryerson University (Canada) |
| 2015 | Undergraduate Research Assistant, Ryerson University (Canada) Supervisor: Michael Arts/Ursula Strandberg |
| 2013 - 2014 | Undergraduate Research Assistant, York University (Canada) Supervisor: Lewis Molot |
| 2011 - 2015 | BSc, Honours Biology, York University (Canada) Thesis: “Relative Importance of Photoreduction and Biological Reduction of Ferric Iron (Fe3+) to Ferrous Iron (Fe2+) Transport in Several Species of Phytoplankton” |
Nutrient Transfer from Aquatic to Terrestrial Ecosystem via Emergent Insects
Aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are ecologically connected to each other as energy and nutrients cross the boundary between the two habitats. Emerging aquatic insects represent an important pathway in which freshwater ecosystems can support terrestrial food webs. Emerging insects significantly contribute to the diets of riparian predators, such as birds, bats, and spiders. As larvae, they feed in aquatic habitats and emerge as terrestrial adults that mate and reset the cycle. Unlike terrestrial plants or insects, aquatic insects contain considerable amounts of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), which are important for growth and reproduction of riparian predators such as birds, bats, and spiders. Quantifying the aquatic to terrestrial nutrient transfer and determining the reliance of riparian predators on aquatic nutrients is understanding the importance of aquatic ecosystems in supporting terrestrial food webs. Current work include sampling of waterbodies in agricultural, river groynes, and even the Arctic.
