DDEP: Ecological and Evolutionary impacts of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) on the Kafue River, Zambia

尼罗罗非鱼（Oreochromis niloticus）的全球传播存在争议，反映了尼罗罗非鱼养殖对本地鱼类生产可能产生的负面影响与社会经济效益之间的紧张关系。本博士论文强化项目的目标是通过量化尼罗罗非鱼引进对本地Oreochromis渔业的影响来为这场全球辩论提供信息。在赞比亚Kafue河进行的这一案例研究的中心假设是，引进的niloticus在配偶竞争中胜过了本地的andersonii雄性，从而推动了定向杂交，这可能会长期改变渔业生产。杂交遗传检测的田间抽样加上竞争实验将通过定量参数化模型来验证这一假设，该模型将估计亲本和杂交种之间体细胞和种群增长率的差异。通过与国外合作伙伴（如赞比亚大学讲师Cyprian Katongo博士和赞比亚硕士生）开展合作研究，该项目通过指导、规划和实验执行为基础博士论文做出贡献。这将是第一个实验调查非洲尼罗罗非鱼入侵和可持续渔业生产之间的生态联系的研究，从而提高论文的智力价值。此外，实地采样将扩展Kafue的长期渔业数据集，这对于开发这条河作为案例研究至关重要。与赞比亚大学、赞比亚渔业部和世界鱼类中心的强有力合作伙伴关系产生了更广泛的影响。这些伙伴关系确保研究将为有关引进尼罗罗非鱼的决策提供信息，从而促进赞比亚和全世界水产资源的可持续发展。该提案作为一个更大的合作和进一步的NSF支持的种子，通过在未来的提案中告知具体的实验设计。此外，它还为美国研究生提供了参与国际合作研究的机会。该奖项由美国国家科学基金会国际科学与工程办公室资助。

Controversy surrounds the global dissemination of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), reflecting tension between possible negative impacts on native fish production relative to the socio-economic benefits of Nile tilapia aquaculture. The objective of this Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement Project is to inform this global debate by quantifying the impact of Nile tilapia introduction on a native Oreochromis fishery. The central hypothesis of this case study on the Kafue River, Zambia, is that introduced O. niloticus out-compete native O. andersonii males for mates, driving directional hybridization which may alter fisheries production in the long term. Field sampling for genetic detection of hybridization coupled with competition experiments will test this hypothesis by quantitatively parameterizing models which will estimate the differences in somatic and population growth rates between parental and hybrid types.By developing collaborative research with foreign partners, such as University of Zambia lecturer Dr. Cyprian Katongo and Zambian master's students, this project contributes to the underlying doctoral dissertation through advising, planning and experimental execution. This will be the first research to experimentally investigate ecological linkages between Nile tilapia invasion in Africa and sustainable fisheries production, thus improving the intellectual merit of the dissertation. Moreover, field sampling will extend the long term fishery dataset for the Kafue, which is essential to developing this river as a case study.Broader impacts derive from strong collaborative partnerships with the University of Zambia, Zambian Department of Fisheries, and The World Fish Center. These partnerships ensure research will inform decisions about the introduction of Nile tilapia relative to the sustainable development of aquatic resources in Zambia and worldwide. This proposal serves as the seed for a larger collaboration and further NSF support by informing the specific design of experiments in a future proposal. Further, it provides a US graduate student the opportunity to engage in international collaborative research.This award is being funded by NSF's Office of International Science and Engineering.