Reproductive ecology of boreal fishes

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Living organisms exhibit a wide variety of reproductive strategies. Some reproduce once in their lives, others reproduce many times; some produce large numbers of very small offspring whereas others produce only a few very large offspring. Understanding how these reproductive strategies evolve in response to changing environmental conditions is a central issue in ecological research. My research will focus on the particular reproductive traits of offspring quantity and quality, and my study organisms will be the freshwater fishes inhabiting the boreal shield region of Canada. In fishes, the probability that offspring will survive through early life is largely determined by the size and composition of egg produced by their mothers. My objective is to quantify variation in egg quantity and quality in these wild fishes, and test predictions from current theory on how environmental forces are shaping these traits. This objective will be met through a series of field- and laboratory-based research projects carried out by graduate and undergraduate students under my supervision. The results of this research will further our understanding of the mechanisms driving egg quality variation, and of the evolution of life history characteristics in general. The results will also prove beneficial to fisheries management and aquaculture.