Factors affecting niche and genetic subdivision in animal populations

我的研究项目调查了水生动物对资源的利用，以及它们的生态位如何随着人类活动的变化而变化。此外，我使用遗传工具来了解动物群体是相互联系的还是相互分离的，并帮助描绘出适当的地理尺度，以进行管理和保护规划。在拟议的项目中，我的团队将使用下一代DNA测序来检查加拿大中部主要流域的大眼鼠和蜥蜴种群之间的遗传关系。同时，我们将使用生化标记(稳定同位素)来表征这些物种之间的生态位重叠，并确定生态位重叠在生产杂交蜥蜴中的潜在重要性。这项研究的一个重要方面是评估人造水库通过在新的环境背景下将大眼金枪鱼和沙格鱼放在一起来改变生态位重叠水平的潜力。拟议的计划还将使用生化标记物来检查食鱼双冠鹈鹕和捕食性运动鱼类之间的生态位重叠。我们特别感兴趣的是确定人类过度开发大眼角是否为鹈鹕腾出了生态位空间，从而提供了一种通用的机制，通过生态位替换来增长和扩张鹈鹕的种群。换句话说，我们想要确定的是，当人类为它们创造了这样做的机会时，它们是否会成为“飞行的大眼镜蛇”。拟议的计划还将利用存档的生化和遗传学数据集，以湖泊和圆形白鱼为测试对象，检查两种类型调查之间的模式。我的研究将通过促进我们对人类活动如何影响水生动物生态位和塑造生态相互作用的知识和视角，为科学做出贡献。此外，它还将为鱼类种群的遗传描述和杂交物种的检测提供新的见解。拟议的计划广泛涉及经济上重要的物种；大眼金枪鱼和白鱼是加拿大价值数十亿美元的淡水渔业的关键组成部分，由于察觉到对这一极其宝贵的资源的影响，鳕鱼受到迫害。因此，当务之急是我们必须拥有最好的支持科学来帮助管理决策。预计拟议的方案将有助于指导有关水生栖息地改变、鱼类管理和放养以及如何处理鳕鱼/渔业冲突的适当政策。最后，这项工作与资源使用者(如垂钓者、商业渔民)直接相关和感兴趣，他们经常寻求有关目标物种和生态系统管理的信息。

My research program investigates resource use by aquatic animals, and how their niche changes in response to human activities. In addition, I use genetic tools to understand whether groups of animals are connected or disjunct from one another, and to help delineate appropriate geographic scales for management and conservation planning. In the proposed program my group will use next-generation DNA sequencing to examine genetic relationships among walleye and sauger populations across major watersheds in central Canada. At the same time, we will characterize niche overlap between these species using biochemical markers (stable isotopes), and determine the potential importance of niche overlap in producing hybrid saugeye. An important aspect of the research is assessing the potential for human-made reservoirs to change levels of niche overlap by putting walleye and sauger together in a novel environmental context. The proposed program will also use biochemical markers to examine niche overlap between fish-eating double-crested cormorants and predatory sport fish. We are specifically interested in determining whether human over-exploitation of walleye has freed-up niche space for cormorants, providing a general mechanism for cormorant population growth and expansion via niche replacement. In other words, we wish to determine whether cormorants become “flying walleye” when humans create the opportunity for them to do so. The proposed program will also take advantage of archived biochemical and genetics datasets to examine patterns between the two types of investigations using lake and round whitefish as test subjects. My research will contribute to science by advancing our knowledge and perspective on how human activities influence aquatic animal niche and shape ecological interactions. Moreover, it will provide novel insights into the genetic delineation of fish populations and detection of hybrids. The proposed program deals extensively with economically important species; walleye, sauger, and whitefish are key components of the multi-billion-dollar freshwater fishing industry in Canada, and cormorants are persecuted because of perceived impacts on this extremely valuable resource. Thus, it is imperative that we have the best supporting science available to aid management decisions. The proposed program is expected to help guide appropriate policy around aquatic habitat alterations, fish management and stocking, and the approach to cormorant/fisheries conflicts. Lastly, the work is of direct relevance and interest to resource users (e.g., anglers, commercial fishers), who often seek information about management of target species and ecosystems.