Olivia T. Nyffeler
Master's Student, University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Welcome! My name is Olivia Nyffeler and I am a master's student at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. I am currently co-advised by Dr. Gretchen Hansen and Dr. Lynn Waterhouse working on a project investigating drivers of Cisco (Coregonus artedi) Recruitment in Lake Superior. Here, you can find information on my current projects, past experiences, and fun moments as I navigate this journey toward my master's degree!
Research Interests
My interests are based on food web dynamics and trophic cascades in inland freshwater lakes. I also have an interest in how species interactions can change as a result of invasive species. Primarily, I look at inland freshwater lakes in the Midwest and study species such as Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Centrarchids, Yellow Perch etc.
I previously assisted in a whole lake manipulation in which a crew removed 300,000 bass and sunfish from a lake to see the impacts on the walleye populations and the surrounding biotic community.
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Currently, I am working on a project studying Cisco (Coregonus artedi) populations in Lake Superior. The goal to investigate which biotic or abiotic drivers lead to their recruitment.