INTRANET  
GRIL - English
Groupe de recherche interuniversitaire en limnologie et en environnement aquatique

Research infrastructures


GRIL houses scientific infrastructure at the cutting-edge of technology, allowing its members to work conduct their research under optimal conditions. Among other resources, members of GRIL have access to several analytical laboratories, three research stations and two research vessels.

LABORATORIES

Analytical laboratories offering a wide range of analytical services and wet labs enabling the study of ecology, toxicology, ecophysiology and the evolution of fishes, along with other aquatic processes.

RESEARCH STATIONS

Access to UQAM’s Centre écologique La Huardière, to the McGill research stations located in the Penfield and Gault Nature Reserves, as well as UdeM’s Station de biologie des Laurentides.

RESEARCH VESSELS

Access to the Lampsilis, a versatile research vessel allowing for the sampling of the entirety of the St-Lawrence River’s habitats, and to the Narke, an electric fishing vessel to sample fish.

ANALYTICAL LABORATORIES

Many chemical, physical and biological analytical services are offered by the GRIL’s analytical laboratories. They are located at Université de Montréal, UQAM, UQTR, Université de Sherbrooke and UQAC.

  • The primary services offered at UQAM’s analytical center: flow cytometry, plancton, inorganic and organic carbon analyses, nutrients and dissolved gases. Over 10 000 samples of various types are analyzed yearly.
  • The primary services offered at Université de Montréal’s analytical center: organic carbon, nitrogen, phosphorous and mercury analyses.
  • Principal external users: All GRIL members with analytical needs. UQAM and UdeM laboratories also provide analyses for externally-sourced samples.
LIST of ANALYTIcal services

 

WET LABS (UQTR)

Fish Ecophysiology Wet Lab

Covering an area of 100 m2, the lab comprises an incubation unit, two rearing units, two experimental units, a unit for the maintenance of gravid individuals and a quarantine unit. The lab is equipped with control and monitoring systems for several parameters (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, photoperiod, hardness, conductivity) linked to a central server, and to an alarm system allowing remote control of parameters. Principal external users: all GRIL members. The laboratories are also accessible to other academic and governmental collaborators.

 

 

Integrated Wet Labs for the Study of the Ecology and Evolution of Fishes and Other Aquatic Processes

Covering an area of 150 m2, this laboratory includes 16 holding tanks of varying dimensions, incubators, a contiuous-flow respirometry system and an artificial stream. The lab is equipped with control systems and monitoring of several parameters (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, photoperiod, hardness, conductivity) linked to a central server, and to an alarm system allowing remote control of parameters. Principal external users: all GRIL members. The laboratories are also accessible to other academic and governmental collaborators.

RESEARCH STATIONS

Station de biologie des Laurentides

This station of the utmost importance to GRIL since it provides exclusive access to several lakes. Available to the entire GRIL community for research purposes, it is also one of the sites where training workshops and writing retreats organized by and for GRIL students are held.

Facilities: dormitory, laboratories, field vehicles and boats.

Principal external users: Open to all GRIL members.

LEARN MORE

 

Gault Nature Reserve

McGill University’s Gault Nature Reserve is a private reserve dedicated to protecting almost 1000 hectares of natural areas. Located at Mont St-Hilaire, about 40 km from Montreal, its panoramic landscapes include the greatest vestiges of the St-Lawrence Valley’s ancient forests. Affiliated with McGill’s Faculty of Science, the Reserve’s team offers support for research and teaching activities in the natural sciences, while offering a suite of services to the academic community and to the public in general.

Principal external users: Open to all members of GRIL.

LEARN MORE

 

Wilder and Helen Penfield Nature Conservancy

This station is the property of McGill University and was built in 1995 as a limnology research laboratory. It is an important base in this limnologically distinctive region of Québec.

Facilities: dormitory, kitchen laboratories and boats.

Principal external users: Open to all GRIL members.

LEARN MORE

 

UQAM Ecological Center

This research station is mainly dedicated to undergraduate teaching (UQAM) but has some research facilities and access to several lakes.

Facilities: dormitory, kitchen, laboratories.

LEARN MORE
RESEARCH VESSELS

Lampsilis

This vessel is equipped with modern instruments for sampling of river trophic networks: spectroradiometer, transmissiometer, fluorometer, current meter, Hydrolab, geomatics instruments, water, zooplankton, periphyton and zoobenthos samplers, bottom and pelagic trawls, dry and wet labs, stereomicroscopes, computers. Despite its size, this laboratory vessel is capable of efficiently sampling all habitats in the St-Lawrence River (shallow shoreline habitats, floodplains, deep zones of the maritime seaway with strong currents, as well as the transition zone of the estuary).

Principal external users: All GRIL members. This infrastructure is also accessible to academic and governmental researchers at the regular rate.

 

Narke

This is a Smith-Root brand electric fishing vessel for sampling fishes of the St-Lawrence River and its tributaries. The electric fishing system is mounted on a metal hull, supported by pneumatic pontoons.

Principal external users: all members of GRIL. This equipment is also accessible to other academic and governmental collaborators.

GRIL is an FRQNT-funded strategic cluster

frqnt