People
The Fraser Lab currently has 9 students (2 PhD, 5 MSc, 2 BSc) carrying out research in six Canadian Provinces:
Dylan Fraser (Principal Investigator)
Jacquelyn Wood (PhD 2009-) Population size and adaptive potential in brook charr (NSERC Postgraduate Scholar)
My research addresses questions related to the evolutionary potential of small populations using a combination of field work, common garden experimentation, as well as quantitative and molecular genetic techniques in the lab. Specifically, my work investigates how spatial and temporal heterogeneity of environmental conditions compares among isolated populations of brook charr that differ in effective size (Ne), at Cape Race, Newfoundland, whether these populations also differ in the amount or variability of phenotypic plasticity expressed relative to Ne, as well as how variation in reproductive success may be affected by differences in population size. I am also interested in examining differences in the selective regimes operating among populations that differ in size from a wide variety of taxa and how it relates to potential response to selection as estimated by measures of heritability. Such questions are crucial for determining whether small populations will be able to respond to future environmental change, and will also contribute important knowledge to ongoing debates regarding adequate minimum viable population sizes, the appropriate size of nature reserves, and the most effective use of conservation and management resources.
Paul Debes (PhD, 2008-) Genetic, genomic and physiological effects of inter-population hybridization in Atlantic salmon (co-supervised by Dr. Jeffrey Hutchings, Dalhousie University)
The mechanism and forces that create and shape populations, especially in fishes, are my major research interest. To approach this I incorporate a variety of methods from diverse fields in ecology and evolution – phylogeography, quantitative and population genetics, and gene expression. My PhD thesis investigates the genetically based differences between wild and domesticated Atlantic salmon and how these differences influence wild populations when escaped domesticated and wild salmon interbreed. I combine behavioural, phenotypic and genetic perspectives to answer these questions. Using common garden laboratory experiments and different life stages of salmon, I investigate consequences of multigenerational interbreeding and their underlying mechanisms, as well as genetic based changes that arise from domestication and that influence fitness in the wild. My research will help to predict the effects of interbreeding between wild and domesticated salmon, and also between different wild populations, to guide decisions in management and conservation. Further, it will help to elucidate the evolutionary concept of post-zygotic isolation between populations relevant in speciation.
Sebastian Belmar-Lucero (MSc, 2010-) Population genetic structure and effective population size in brook charr
My main research interest are evolutionary biology and conservation genetics. After an intensive experience in molecular systematics of small mammals, I am currently performing research on population and conservation genetics, using genotypic data from populations of Salvelinus fontinalis (Brook charr) from Cape Race, Newfoundland. One of the main goals of my current research is to perform an empirical evaluation of the precision and accuracy of different approaches to estimate the population effective size (Ne). This parameter is considered to be one of the most important in conservation and evolutionary biology, since it dictates the rates of loss of genetic diversity through genetic drift, and the increase in inbreeding of populations. These, in turn, are correlated with species ́ extinction risk. My current research involves the use of several molecular tools such as DNA isolation, PCR, and genotyping using microsatellite markers. Overall, through my M.Sc. studies and research, I aim to understand: the importance of the effective size of the populations; the factors that causes reductions in the ratio between Ne and the census size of populations; the link between Ne and extinction risk and; the role that management and conservation strategies play in the preservation of the genetic diversity of populations. Although my research uses a salmonid fish as a study model, I expect that this experience will provide me the necessary tools to perform research on population and conservation genetics, and evolutionary biology, in a broader taxonomic scale (e.g. Vertebrata).
Publications:
Belmar-Lucero S., Godoy, P., Ferrés, M., Vial, P. and RE Palma. Range expansion of Oligoryzomys longicaudatus (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae) in the Patagonia of Chile and first record of Hantavirus in the region. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural (2009), 82: 265-275.
Palma, RE, Rivera-Milla, E., Salazar-Bravo, J., Carma, M., Rodriguez-Serrano, E., Belmar-Lucero, S., Gutiérrez, P., Zeballos, H., and TL Yates. Molecular phylogenetics among the pygmy rice rats of the genus Oligoryzomys Bangs 1900 (Rodentia, Sigmodontinae). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (2010), 160: 551-566.
Contact: sebabelmar@gmail.com
Corey Clarke (MSc 2010-) Adaptation, plasticity and conservation of Atlantic salmon (collaborative project with Parks Canada – Fundy National Park, New Brunswick; NSERC Canada Graduate Scholar, co-supervised by Dr. Craig Purchase, Memorial University)
Andrew Harbicht (MSc, 2010-) Environmental and demographic correlates of long-term introgression between hatchery and wild trout (collaborative research project with the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources; co-supervised by Dr. Chris Wilson, Trent University/OMNR)
My project looks at the relationship between environment, hatchery-wild hybridization and survival. More specifically, by studying the brook trout of Algonquin Provincial Park (Ontario) I intend to answer two main questions, 1) why do hatchery genetics persist in some stocked lakes while not in others, and 2) what are the effects, if any, of persistent hatchery genetics on the survival and adaptability of admixed brook trout populations compared to pure wild populations. These questions will be answered through a combination of statistical analyses using a database of admixture levels within the park and fieldwork using fish gametes collected within the park. Answering these questions will give fisheries and conservation managers a better understanding of conspecific hatchery-wild dynamics and help to make future decisions regarding whether or not to stock wild populations, or whether current protection policies are adequate.
Queenie Gray (MSc 2011-) Prioritizing mountain lakes with introduced fish species for restoration (collaborative project with Parks Canada, Waterton lakes National Park, Alberta; co-supervised by Dr. Jim Grant, Concordia University)
My MSc research project investigates the impacts of salmonid introductions on high mountain lakes. Though often naturally fishless, many Rocky Mountain Lakes have been aggressively stocked to improve recreational angling opportunities. Waterton Lakes National Park in particular offers an opportunistic comparison of fish-inhabited and fishless lakes through which many limnological questions can be explored. By applying paleo-limnological techniques to this study ecosystem, I will assess changes in the pelagic food web following the addition of trout. The continued impacts of fish will be inferred by comparing the two classes of lakes in terms of plankton communities and water chemistry. As well, characteristics of remnant fish populations will be examined by gill-netting. My results will be integrated with existing data to create a scientifically-based framework by which lakes can be prioritized for ecological restoration. My approach considers multiple ecosystem levels, has clear conservation applications and will benefit from partnerships with other researchers.
Matthew Yates (MSc 2011-) Genetic diversity and adapting to environmental change (NSERC Canada Graduate Scholar)
Alexandre Meli (BSc 2011-) Within-population movement patterns in ten brook trout populations
Mikayla Wujec (BSc 2011-) Traditional and ecological knowledge in First Nations fisheries monitoring
PREVIOUSLY SUPERVISED OR CO-SUPERVISED STUDENTS
Matthew Yates, BSc 2011 (NSERC USRA): Temperature-dependent reaction norms for precocial male maturity in Atlantic salmon
Sherylyne Scott, BSc 2011: Environmental and life history influences on effective size-census size ratios in a stream-dwelling fish
Aimee Lee Houde, MSc 2009 (NSERC CGS): The risks of inbreeding and outbreeding depression in endangered salmon populations
Matthew Morris, BSc 2009 (NSERC USRA): The effects of hybridization on compensatory growth in Atlantic salmon
Anthony Heggelin, B.E.S. 2008: Environmental and human factors affecting the population biology of brook trout
Aimee Lee Houde, BSc 2007 (NSERC USRA): Ecological interactions between escaped farmed and wild Atlantic salmon
