Evolutionary ecology of breeding systems and life history: from individual to population responses in fish

生态学家和保护生物学家面临的一个主要挑战是了解塑造个体之间的变异性和影响人口丰度的过程，特别是在应对自然和人为驱动的环境变化。拟议的研究计划探讨这些过程中使用大西洋鲑鱼，褐鳟鱼和大西洋鳕鱼作为模型系统的实验研究。涉及一系列方法，从受控实验室实验到大规模实地实验，再到探索个体和群体特征表达的分子分析，特别是与生殖有关的分子分析。目的是更充分地了解生殖行为、后代成功和种群生产力之间的联系，以及如何将这种认识应用于养护生物学和渔业管理。 本研究有三个主要目标。第一个是探索为什么一个种群中的个体动物可能会经历完全不同的生活史。例如，为什么有些鱼在成熟之前就迁移到海洋中，而另一些鱼从不离开淡水？我建议在大西洋鲑鱼中测试这一点，并研究迁移的好处和成本（生长，生存，繁殖和后代资源）。第二个目标是了解为什么有些鱼产大卵而有些产小卵，以及这如何影响下一代鱼的数量。一个相关的目的是调查为什么鱼类，如大西洋鳕鱼，在繁殖季节产生不同类型的蛋，以及后代生存的影响。最终目标是应用上述知识来了解物种如何入侵新环境，如纽芬兰的褐鳟鱼，以及如何更好地恢复濒危种群，如芬迪湾的大西洋鲑鱼。

A major challenge for ecologists and conservation biologists is to understand processes that shape variability among individuals and influence population abundances, particularly in response to natural and human-driven environmental change. The proposed research program explores these processes using Atlantic salmon, brown trout and Atlantic cod as model systems for experimental study. A range of approaches are involved, from controlled laboratory experiments to large-scale field experiments to molecular analyses that explore the expression of individual and population characteristics, particularly as they relate to reproduction. The aim is to more fully understand the linkages among reproductive behaviour, offspring success and the productivity of populations, and how this understanding may be applied to conservation biology and fisheries management. There are three main objectives to the research. The first is to explore why individual animals within a population may undertake completely different life histories. For example, why do some fish migrate to the ocean before they mature and others never leave fresh water? I propose to test this in Atlantic salmon and examine the benefits and costs of migration (growth, survival, reproduction and resources for offspring). The second objective is to understand why some fish produce large eggs and others small eggs, and how this affects the abundance of fish the next generation. An associated aim is to investigate why fish, such as Atlantic cod, produce different types of eggs during the course of the breeding season and what are the implications for offspring survival. The final objective is apply the knowledge garnered above to understand how species invade new environments, such as brown trout in Newfoundland, and how to better restore endangered populations, such as those of the Atlantic salmon in the Bay of Fundy.