A research project as part of my MSc focused on identifying factors that can lead to the context-dependence of invasive species' impacts. I used crayfishes as model organisms and functional response experiments to measure per capita effects as a proxy for field impacts. I was curious about how impacts might differ between geographically-disparate populations of a species. To figure it out, my collaborators and I compared the feeding behaviour of American spiny-cheek crayfish from populations in its native and invaded ranges in Canada, the USA, Germany and Belgium to use in laboratory experiments.

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To import the crayfish used in my experiments, I  created a AQC-2 small-scale containment facility at McGill University, which was inspected and approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. This innovation was necessary because most North American crayfish species are potential carriers of Aphanomyces astaci, a water mold that causes crayfish plague, a disease fatal to European crayfishes. To limit the potential spread of crayfish plague, import of American spiny-cheek crayfish into Canada is highly regulated, and for research use, requires a safe quarantine facility.