Fri, April 7, 2017 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS RESEARCH LABORATORY (AERL). Speaker: Dr. Jordan Rosenfeld
Aquatic Scientist,
Applied Freshwater Ecology Research Unit, BC Ministry of Environment
Location: AERL 120
The west coast of North America supports over 9 species of pacific salmon and trout which exhibit an astonishingly wide array of life-history strategies. In the first part of this talk I will consider differentiation of phenotype and life-history among salmonid species, populations, and individuals at the freshwater juvenile rearing stage, and how adaptive differentiation relates to habitat partitioning and associated tradeoffs in phenotype, particularly selection on juvenile growth. Variation among rainbow trout individuals and populations supports the interpretation of a general adaptive tradeoff between selection for high growth vs. active metabolic performance. Life-history and growth differentiation among west coast salmonids can also be interpreted through the lens of evolutionary pressure to escape habitat bottlenecks that limit adult population size.