Origins, maintenance, and loss of biodiversity

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My research program focuses on factors associated with the origins, maintenance and loss of biodiversity. Introduced species are a significant threat to native biodiversity, yet we often do not know about the genetic basis of their invasiveness or how they negatively impact native species. The proposed research will: (i) reconstruct historical routes of spread in a noxious species (signal crayfish); (ii) document effects of signal crayfish on threespine stickleback; and (iii) improve our understanding of toxin production in the rough-skinned newt. To achieve these goals, we will combine field and lab-based methods. Within the three objectives:(i) Population genetics of species experiencing range expansionsBy using neutral genetic markers, we aim to pinpoint the identity and origins of an invasive species, and characterize how it spread through space and time to its current range limits. Signal crayfish is native to mainland British Columbia, but appears to have been absent from Vancouver Island until the turn of the last century, where it is implicated in the loss of a unique pair of lake-dwelling threespine stickleback species.(ii) Evolutionary effects of predators on native speciesThreespine stickleback on the coast of British Columbia have yielded many insights into the pace and mode of adaptation in young species, but are under threat from invasive species. To better understand threats to solitary threespine stickleback populations, we will characterize ecological and evolutionary impacts of introduced species. Specifically, we will characterize various aspects of the ecology of populations living in the presence/absence of signal crayfish, with the goal of identifying populations potentially at risk of local extinction.(iii) Genetic basis of toxin production in the rough-skinned newtNative garter snakes prey upon a variety of species, including the native rough-skinned newt, which possesses the same toxin (tetrodotoxin) that is found in the deadly fugu puffer fish. Despite the importance of the snake-newt interaction for our understanding of coevolution, we know very little about the genetic basis of toxin production in newts. We will use molecular methods to determine which parts of the genetic code are used to produce this toxin. In related investigations, we investigate whether the spread of signal crayfish is associated with changes in newt toxin levels along the coast of British Columbia.Invasive species are a significant and growing concern in all major regions of Canada, and this research program will advance our understanding of the ecology and evolution of an invasive species and its effects on two native species. The research program will also provide training opportunities for 14 highly qualified personnel (two PhD students, three MSc students, and nine undergraduate project students), making them competitive for careers in the life sciences.