My research lies at the intersection of fish ecology and evolutionary biology, fisheries management, and biodiversity conservation. I work hand-in-hand with fisheries managers and other stakeholders to meet applied information needs while also exploring broad questions about biodiversity conservation.
Genetic connectivity in aquatic habitats |
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I'm interested in understanding how genetic diversity is distributed across space and time in freshwater and marine environments, and what this means for on-the-ground efforts to conserve and manage fish populations. I've explored these relationships in native populations of trout and salmon, which often exhibit large degrees of population structure across highly fragmented landscapes. I've also explored these relationships in billfishes and tunas, which are capable of long distance movements in open ocean environments that lack obvious physical barriers to movement. To do this work, I've worked alongside state, federal, and tribal agencies, regional fisheries management organizations, NGOs, and other special interest groups. My research supplies managers with practical information to guide decision-making, and has contributed to management efforts with the Great Lakes and across the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific.
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Natural and anthropogenic drivers of genetic diversity
Wild populations are exposed to wide-ranging anthropogenic stressors including disease, habitat loss, competition with introduced species, and rising temperatures. What is the impact of these stressors on genetic diversity, and what does this mean for the short- and long-term persistence of wild populations? I've explored these questions in species across North America to help inform the development of management plans that effectively mitigate contemporary stressors while also preparing for future impacts, including those stemming from a changing global climate. Results from my work help fisheries managers prioritize local populations for conservation, determine the most appropriate active management interventions, identify distinct habitat features for mitigation, and predict the future trajectories of focal populations.
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Revealing genotype-to-phenotype in adaptive traits
I'm interested in unravelling genome-to-phenome pathways to better understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie the occurrence of distinct traits. This knowledge is fundamental for developing management plans aimed at restoring and conserving distinct traits, which help bolster the resiliency of populations and species. For example, I am investigating genotype-to-phenotype relationships in native populations of brook trout from the Lake Superior basin. Brook trout in this region exhibit two life histories: smaller stream-resident brook trout which reside in rivers, and larger lake-run "coaster" brook trout which spend time in Lake Superior. My research is focused on determining whether specific regions of the genome are associated with these distinct life histories. Insights from my work will inform a broader understanding of life history traits under genetic control, and provide information necessary for restoring coaster populations .
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Conservation technology to support field-ready management
Species identification is fundamental to many aspects of ecology and evolutionary biology, and also plays a key role in fisheries management. For example, reliable identification of fish species is necessary for collecting accurate field data, determining appropriate catch limits, detecting invasive species, identifying harvest infractions, and monitoring species-specific conservation status. iCatch is a new technology I am developing that combines genomics and AI to enable fast and easy species identification in the field. Learn more about iCatch on the project website here.
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