Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Biology of Fishes

鱼类进化生态学和保护生物学

• 批准号: 170146-2013
• 负责人: Hutchings, Jeffrey
• 金额: $ 4.37万
• 依托单位: Dalhousie University
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=690934
• 关键词: Evolutionary; Ecology; Conservation; Biology; Fishes

My research focuses on the tremendous variability in reproductive strategies within and among natural populations. Such life history variation can be reflected by individual differences in age & size at maturity, number of eggs per female, and offspring size. To what extent is the source of this variability genetic, environmental, or some combination thereof? This is a fundamental question to evolutionary ecology and conservation biology. Firstly, the source of variation determines whether life history responses to environmental perturbations, such as habitat alteration and harvesting, will be rapid, slow, or indeed whether they will occur at all. Secondly, the nature of the life history response, i.e., the change in reproductive strategy produced by the environmental change, can affect a population's ability to recover from collapse, persist through time, and sustain exploitation.My proposal integrates molecular genetics with field and laboratory research. My general objectives are: 1) to determine how different reproductive strategies are maintained in variable environments; 2) to determine how populations differ in their ability to respond to environmental change; and 3) to identify factors that affect the recovery of depleted species. One study asks why very small (8cm) and very large (100cm) males are able to co-exist in populations of Atlantic salmon. Another builds upon 25 years of research on brook trout to understand how natural populations differ in their ability to respond to environmental change. Other work examines factors, such as mating behaviour, hypothesized to hinder the ability of species such as Atlantic cod to recover following collapse. From a practical or applied aspect, the impact of the proposed research lies in its potential to: (i) forecast responses by fish to climate change; (ii) understand why some numerically collapsed commercial species have not recovered; and (iii) determine whether human-induced selection (through fishing) can genetically alter the ability of individuals and populations to respond to environmental change.

我的研究重点是自然种群内和自然种群之间生殖策略的巨大差异。这种生活史变异可以通过个体的年龄和成熟时的大小、每只雌性的卵数和后代大小的差异来反映。这种变异性的来源在多大程度上是遗传的、环境的，还是它们的某种组合？这是进化生态学和保护生物学的一个基本问题。首先，变异的来源决定了生活史对环境扰动的反应，如栖息地的改变和收获，是否会迅速，缓慢，或者它们是否会发生。第二，生活史反应的性质，即，由环境变化引起的繁殖策略的改变，可以影响种群从崩溃中恢复的能力，持续时间和持续开发。我的建议将分子遗传学与野外和实验室研究结合起来。我的总体目标是：1）确定在可变环境中如何维持不同的生殖策略; 2）确定种群对环境变化的反应能力如何不同; 3）确定影响枯竭物种恢复的因素。一项研究询问为什么非常小（8厘米）和非常大（100厘米）的雄性能够在大西洋鲑鱼种群中共存。另一个基于对溪鳟25年的研究，以了解自然种群对环境变化的反应能力如何不同。其他的工作则考察了一些因素，如交配行为，这些因素被假设为阻碍大西洋鳕鱼等物种在崩溃后恢复的能力。从实际或应用的角度来看，拟议研究的影响在于它有可能：（一）预测鱼类对气候变化的反应;（二）理解为什么一些数量锐减的商业物种没有恢复;（三）确定人类诱导的选择（通过捕鱼）是否可以从遗传上改变个人和种群对环境变化的反应能力。