Research
My research focused on the drivers of the abundance of Membranipora membranacea, an invasive bryozoan species that is causing damage to kelp beds in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. In the first chapter of my thesis, I used a combination of historical data and new data collected by myself and other Metaxas lab members to determine the environmental and biological factors controlling the abundance of M. membranacea. I also used M. membranacea as a case study to develop a framework for variable selection for species distribution models (SDMs). For the second chapter of my thesis, I constructed an SDM for the bryozoan in order to map its current abundance in the northwest Atlantic and predict future changes to its distribution due to climate change. My research enhanced our knowledge of M. membranacea and informed spatial planning measures to protect kelp ecosystems, with findings applicable to invasive species and SDMs more broadly.
Education
Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS
Department of Oceanography
M.Sc. Candidate
September 2018 – September 2021
University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
Faculty of Arts and Science
B.Sc. Honours in Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science
September 2012 – April 2016
University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland, UK
School of Biology
Visiting Exchange Student
September 2014 – May 2015
Scholarships and Awards
Kathy Ellis Memorial Book Prize (Dalhousie University) – 2019
Best Overall Talk (Conference of Dalhousie Oceanography Graduate Students; CDOGS) – 2019
Nova Scotia Graduate Scholarship, Master’s Level (Dalhousie University) – 2018-2019
Canada Graduate Scholarship, Master’s Level (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council) – 2018
Dorothy Whiting Scholarship in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (University of Toronto) – 2017
Medal: Third Level Biology (University of St Andrews) – 2015
Robert Hunter Scholarship (University of Toronto) – 2015
Peter John Hare Memorial Scholarship in Environment (University of Toronto) – 2014
Hadwen-Walker Scholarship in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (University of Toronto) – 2014
Walter and Mary Tuohy Award in Arts and Science (University of Toronto) – 2014
Sunil Kumar and Nita Singh Scholarship (University of Toronto) – 2014
Gordon Crowe Memorial Scholarship (University of Toronto) – 2013
Bloor Lands Admission Scholarship (University of Toronto) – 2012
University of Toronto Scholars Program (University of Toronto) – 2012
RBC Blue Water Scholarship (Royal Bank of Canada) – 2012
peer-reviewed publications
Pratt, C.J., Denley, D.E., and Metaxas, A. (in review). Selection of predictor variables for species distribution models: a case study with an invasive marine bryozoan.
Pratt C.J., Denley, D.E., and Metaxas A. (in prep). Ocean warming increases the threat of an invasive bryozoan to kelp beds in the northwest Atlantic Ocean.
Relevant Experience
Freshwater Fish Biodiversity Researcher
Dr. Nicholas Mandrak Lab, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough (Toronto, ON)
June 2016 – August 2016
Research Assistant
Dr. John Stinchcombe Laboratory, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto (Toronto, ON)
September 2013 – March 2014
Other publications
Pratt C.J.,(in prep). Nobody likes the crust: what controls the abundance of an invasive bryzoan? Current Tides: Dalhousie Oceanography Research Magazine.
Presentations
Pratt, C.J., Metaxas, A., Denley, D (2021). Drivers of regional-scale variability in the abundance of an invasive bryozoan in the kelp beds of the northwest Atlantic. Conference of Dalhousie Oceanography Graduate Students. Halifax, NS (held online).
Pratt, C.J., Metaxas, A., and Denley, D.E. (2020). Drivers of regional-scale variability in the abundance of an invasive bryozoan in the kelp beds of the northwest Atlantic. World Conference on Marine Biodiversity. Auckland, NZ (held online).
Pratt, C.J., Metaxas, A., and Denley, D.E. (2020). Drivers of regional-scale variability in the abundance of an invasive bryozoan in the kelp beds of the northwest Atlantic. Ecological Society of America Annual Meeting. Salt Lake City, UT, USA (held online).
Pratt, C.J., Metaxas, A., and Denley, D.E. (2020). Drivers of regional-scale variability in the abundance of an invasive bryozoan in the kelp beds of Nova Scotia. Canadian Conference for Fisheries Research – Society of Canadian Limnologists. Halifax, NS, Canada.
Pratt, C.J., Metaxas, A., Denley, D. (2019). Climate change, invasive species, and the fate of kelp beds in Atlantic Canada. Conference of Dalhousie Oceanography Graduate Students. Halifax, NS.
Pratt, C.J., Metaxas, A., and Denley, D. (2018). Impacts of an Invasive Species on the Effectiveness of a Marine Protected Area. Canadian Healthy Oceans Network (CHONe) 2018 Network Meeting. Ottawa, ON.
Pratt, C.J. and Mandrak, N. (2017). Batch image identification as a novel, non-lethal method for identifying fishes in freshwater fish biodiversity surveys. Ontario Ecology, Ethology and Evolution Colloquium (OE3C). Kingston, ON.
Contact Information
Twitter: @ecologyisrad
Email: c.pratt at dal.ca
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/conrad-pratt-40025b98/
Marine Benthic Ecology and conservation 