Fish ecology and evolution
The fishes are good study objects for investigating a large range of interesting questions in ecology and evolution. Populations of a given species are often constrained to a restricted area (fjords, lakes, rivers, streams), and thus populations may be reproductively isolated from each other. Given differences in environmental conditions this might lead to local adaptation – i.e. genetically based differences in phenotypic traits. Fish are also highly plastic in that they respond quickly on environmental change – this response needs not be adaptive. Also, the different species differ markedly in behaviour, life history, morphology, and also in how we humans handle them (harvesting, building of dams, etc.). Taken together, this makes fishes very interesting study objects.
We are presently studying a range of different fishes, both freshwater fish (brown trout, Arctic char, Atlantic salmon, grayling) and coastal marine fishes (wrasses). Many of these studies have an applied focus, but with a strong interest in more basic questions.
Presently I supervise five master students, thus there is only limited room for taking up more students in 2018. However, there might be an opening for one student working on brown trout.
The brown trout in the river Gudbrandsdalslågen is famous for its large size (see https://titan.uio.no/node/2786). A detailed mark-recapture data set covering more than 50 years is now being analysed by a group of researchers at CEES. This data set is very rich, and a number of more specialized research questions can be asked to the data. It will be helpful if you are fond of working with numbers and statistics.
Published Apr. 9, 2018 9:27 AM
- Last modified Apr. 19, 2018 8:14 AM