Field Vehicle for Ecology and Evolution of Fishes Research

为了支持卡尔加里大学的约翰·r·波斯特和肖恩·罗杰斯的野外项目，一辆可靠的交通工具是进入野外现场的必要条件，他们的项目重点是淡水鱼类的生态学、进化和保护。他们的研究项目依赖于阿尔伯塔省和不列颠哥伦比亚省未受干扰的自然和实验鱼类种群。我们的计划努力了解淡水鱼的行为，生理，种群和进化特征的机制基础。我们采用实地取样和全湖实地实验相结合的方法来表征和测试有关自然界生态和进化过程的假设。由于我们研究地点的偏远性质和现场设备的使用，需要使用加长驾驶室、四轮驱动、3/4吨、带顶篷和船架的车辆。我们对这辆车的综合使用涉及连续使用10个月，而租用一辆同等规模的卡车则贵得令人望而却步。这笔拟议购买的车辆将取代一辆在20年和30万公里的实地研究使用后无法维修的车辆。这些研究项目依赖于一个安全、可靠和具有成本效益的研究工具，供研究人员和学员继续他们富有成效和重要的研究。购买车辆是迄今为止最经济的策略，以满足我们的综合需求，并最大限度地有效利用NSERC研究基金。

A reliable vehicle is necessary to access wilderness field sites in support of the field programs of John R. Post and Sean Rogers of the University of Calgary which focus on the ecology, evolution and conservation of freshwater fishes. Their research programs depend on access to undisturbed natural and experimental populations of fishes throughout Alberta and British Columbia. Our programs strive to understand the mechanistic basis for behavioral, physiological, population and evolutionary traits of freshwater fishes. We use a combination of field sampling and whole lake field experiments to characterize and test hypotheses about ecological and evolutionary processes in nature. The remote nature of our research sites and the field equipment used necessitate use of an extended cab, 4WD, 3/4 ton vehicle with canopy and boat rack. Our combined use of the vehicle involves 10 months of continuous use and rental of an equivalent truck is prohibitively expensive. This proposed vehicle purchase will replace one that is no longer repairable after 20 years and 300,000 km of use in field research. These research programs depend on a safe, reliable and cost-effective research vehicle for the researchers and trainees to continue their productive and important research. Purchasing the vehicle is by far the most economical strategy to meet our combined needs and maximize the efficient use of NSERC research funds.