Research

Population diversity and conservation – Our general research philosophy: a fuller understanding of biodiversity and its consequences to humanity means integrating ecological, evolutionary and genetic/genomic principles (‘eco-evo-gen’). We concentrates research efforts at or below the species level. Increasingly, however, we are interested in how the evolution of diversity below species levels affects functional diversity at community or ecosystem levels.

Our general research goal: to determine (i) how population diversity within species arises, evolves and persists in the face of natural and human-induced environmental changes, and (ii) its consequences for species conservation and restoration programs, fisheries management, global conservation planning initiatives and policy associated with biodiversity science.

Our research approach: experimentally combine field, laboratory, molecular and traditional ecological knowledge studies of natural fish populations. We also adopt meta-analytic techniques and across-taxa quantitative data syntheses.

Our research commonly involves close collaboration with governmental agencies, Indigenous communities and non-governmental organizations.

CURRENT RESEARCH TOPICS

Small population dynamics and evolution For many species, the future is abundantly clear. Due to anthropogenic disturbances, (i) their populations will have to exist in smaller, isolated habitats; (ii) their dispersal (and hence gene flow) will be more restricted, and (iii) they will live at depressed abundances. What is less clear – a key aim of our lab’s research – is which populations will adapt to these changes. Will the classic genetic effects of being small and isolated translate into extinction? Or does demographic and environmental stochasticity usually ‘knock off’ populations before classic genetic effects even play a major role? And if extinction does not occur, what are the main drivers that allow populations to adapt to environmental change? How much environmental change can populations withstand and still persist? Will sufficient adaptation occur to retain the services that populations of many species deliver to humankind? Remarkably little empirical research has investigated these questions in integration. We have ongoing research studies investigating how multiple factors influence population responses and adaptation to environmental change using a unique, vertebrate model: a series of isolated brook trout populations found on Cape Race, Newfoundland, Canada

Northern and Indigenous Fisheries  We have a longstanding commitment to applying multidisciplinary approaches towards the effective monitoring and stewardship of harvested fish populations in northern Canada. Our research projects commonly involve a combination of genetic, genomic and life history approaches, and traditional ecological knowledge of local Indigenous fishers. These projects are highly collaborative with local Indigenous communities and organizations, as well as local government agencies. Read more about our main focal areas of research here.

Fisheries-induced evolution – Development of sustainable fisheries harvesting practices depends heavily on sound scientific principles and evidence-based knowledge. Fisheries science has advanced towards fulfilling this need, but it has traditionally relied on ecological principles only. Through size-selective harvesting, fisheries also induce evolutionary changes and these can subsequently elicit ecological change on short time scales. Growing concern has been expressed that size-selective harvesting may directly or indirectly affect fisheries persistence and productivity, and ecosystem functioning upon which the fishing industry depends. Remarkably, however, there have been no comprehensive, experimentally-replicated assessments of these claims in nature. For several years, we have conducted a large scale harvest selection experiment based on experimentally-controlled depletions across a series of closed, natural trout populations. Our project took advantage of the mandate of Parks Canada to actively restore previously fishless alpine lakes where non-native trout were introduced 80-100 years ago. These depletions are being used to explore several untested hypotheses about the effects of size-selective harvesting on wild fish populations, fisheries productivity and ecosystem function (e.g LINK, LINK)

Population diversity and genetics at large scales – The large scale distribution of population‐specific genetic diversity across taxa remains understudied relative to species diversity gradients, despite its relevance for systematic conservation planning. Indeed, population genetic diversity is typically ignored in most biodiversity syntheses and large-scale conservation planning despite its crucial in facilitating adaptation to environmental change. Therefore, a ‘macrogenetic’ perspective on population genetic diversity may have far-reaching consequences for biodiversity stewardship and environmental sustainability. Our lab has generated one of the first, systematic review-based databases of nuclear DNA diversity across taxa (the ‘macropopgen’ database) using published microsatellite data spanning 25 years (LINK). This publicly available database has enabled our lab and others to investigate the relationships between environmental variation, human footprint and population genetic diversity across a wide latitudinal gradient of the American continents. Through this work, we are revealing largely unrecognized population genetic diversity patterns and consequences of human-induced changes to intraspecific biodiversity, and a decoupling between species richness and genetic diversity in many instances (LINK, LINK).

Data synthesis in conservation biology – We conduct quantitative syntheses to address consequential questions on a variety of topics in conservation biology. Commonly, these syntheses have been developed from interests in applying genetic and evolutionary principles to conservation (LINK)

CURRENT/PAST RESEARCH PROJECT PARTNERS OR SPONSORS:

Genome Canada, Genome Quebec, MITACS Acclerate/Elevate Programs, US Fish & Wildlife Service, NSERC (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada),
FQRNT (Le Fonds Québécois de la recherche sure la nature et les technologies), DFO (Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada), Parks Canada (Yoho, Kootenay, Banff National Parks, Alberta + BC, Parks Canada (Fundy National Park, New Brunswick), Parks Canada (Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta), Hydro Quebec, Niskamoon Corporation, Quebec, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (OMNRF), Concordia University, Mistaken Point Ecological Reserve, NL, Alberta Environment and Parks, Aquatron Laboratory, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Société de la faune et des parcs du Québec (FAPAQ), Société des établissements de plein air du Québec (SEPAQ), Department of Inland Fisheries, NS, Grand Council of the Crees of Québec, Cree Nation Government, Cree Nation of Mistissini, QC, Cree Trapper’s Association, Mistissini, QC, Atlantic Salmon Federation, Ecology Action Centre, Halifax, NS, Trout Unlimited Canada, Trout Nova Scotia, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Barrette Chapais LtD, Osprey Lodge, Mistissini, QC, Fonds Ecologique Anne Vallee

CURRENT/PAST RESEARCH COLLABORATORS

Jeffrey Hutchings, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada                                                    Louis Bernatchez, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada
Michael M. Hansen, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
Alison Derry, Université du Québec a Montreal (UQAM), Montreal, QC, Canada
Pedro Peres-Neto, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
William Ardren, US Fish & Wildlife Service, VT, USA
John Post, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Theodore Castro-Santos, U.S. Geological Survey, USA
Chris Solomon, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Sean Rogers, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada
Irene Gregory-Eaves, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Friso Palstra, CRNS UMR, Paris, France
James Grant, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Patrick O’Reilly, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Halifax, NS, Canada
Anna Calvert, Environment Canada and Bird Studies Canada
David Veliz, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
Laura Weir, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Craig Purchase, Memorial University, St. John’s, NL, Canada
Chris Wilson, Trent University, Peterborough, ON, Canada
Eric Taylor, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Paul Bentzen, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Moira Ferguson, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
David Hardie, Bedford Institute of Oceanography, Halifax, NS, Canada
Coilin Minto, Irish Fisheries Institute, Galloway, Ireland
Jim Eddington, Aquatron Laboratory, Halifax, NS, Canada                                                     Andrew Coon, Cree Nation of Mistissini, Canada                                                                        Pamela MacLeod, Cree Nation of Mistissini, Canada                                                                        Jean-Sebastien Moore, Université Laval, Québec, QC, Canada                                                Shelley Humphries, Parks Canada, Radium Hot Springs, B.C., Canada