DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Niche Evolution in Gadine Fishes

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The aim of this study is to develop a better understanding of the complex processes by which fish in the subfamily Gadinae respond to changes in their environment. Gadinae is a group of marine fish that includes several species of economic importance (e.g. Alaska pollock, Atlantic cod, Pacific cod). Species in this group have already displayed some evidence of geographic range alteration as a result of climate change. By integrating information on the genetic relationships among gadine fishes, their distributions, and climate data, this study will reconstruct the evolution of suitable habitat characteristics for the group. Understanding how suitable habitats for these species have evolved is key to predicting their fate when faced with climate change. This information, in turn, is applicable to the development of natural resource management policies for adaptation and mitigation of climate change effects on economically important fisheries. This project will also fund two undergraduate research assistants, training them in geographic information systems analysis techniques. The skills they develop in the course of this research are applicable not only to scientific research and resource management, but to developing public health, conservation, and climate change management and mitigation strategies.