Address:
Office/Lab: Room 310/270, Beaty Biodiversity Bldg, 2212
Main Mall, UBC
Mailing address:
Dept. of Zoology, UBC
6270 University Blvd.
Vancouver, BC, CANADA, V6T 1Z4
Tel: 604-822-9152, Fax: 604-822-2416
Email: etaylor@zoology.ubc.ca
Photo above: Arctic
grayling from the Burnt River
(lower Peace River drainage, BC).
Photo by Ernest Keeley.
More photos of native
fishes of British Columbia
Research Interests and
lab:
My research focuses on understanding patterns of genetic variation
within and between natural populations, the processes that promote
and organize such variation, and their relevance to the origins
and conservation of biodiversity. In particular, I am interested
in population structure and the historical and contemporary processes
that influence population structure, speciation and hybridization
(both ecological and genetic mechanisms of divergence and persistance
in the face of gene flow), and the implications of these processes
to biodiversity conservation. We develop and apply techniques
in molecular biology to address questions in the evolution
and ecology of natural fish populations. Molecular genetic (utilizing
mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA markers, mtDNA and intron
sequencing and RFLP analyses), morphological, and ecological,
studies are conducted in the general fields of population genetics,
molecular ecology and systematics, and conservation genetics and
biodiversity.
I am also part of the Native Fishes Research
Group which focuses on ecological and genetic studies of native
fish diversity and their relevance to conservation. I am curator
of the
UBC Fish Museum and Associate Director of the Beaty
Biodiversity Research Centre at UBC. I also teach undergraduate
courses in Zoogeography
(Biol. 413) and Diversity and
Evolution of Fishes (Biol. 465), and co-teach a graduate
course in Conservation
Genetics (Zool. 524).
Lake chub, Couesius plumbeus, from the Atlin warm springs in northwestern BC. These
fish live in the outlet of a small warm spring that is ~20 degrees C year-round. Photo by C. Darveau
Some of the projects underway include:
1. Molecular genetic studies of adaptive radiations and hybridization
in threespine sticklebacks. We are using mtDNA and microsatellites
to examine the origin and interactions between of pairs of sympatric
and parapatric sticklebacks (with J. Gow and A. Hendry).
2. The molecular ecology of hybrid zone dynamics in species
of western char and trout. Combinations of nDNA and mtDNA markers
have demonstrated hybridization and introgression between Dolly
Varden and bull trout after secondary contact in BC. Hybridization
also occurs between native westslope cutthroat trout and introduced
rainbow trout in southeastern BC and southwestern Alberta. In
both these situations, ecological and genetic studies investigate
hypotheses concerning the formation and maintenance of the hybrid
zones and how these data can assist in conservation
efforts.
3. Molecular phylogeography and phylogenetics of fishes of
northwestern North America.
4. Homogenization of BC and other Canadian freshwater fish
faunas. Click HERE
for summary.
5. Landscape/seascape and population structure of native fishes
(bull trout, lake trout, broad whitefish, bay pipefish).
6. Thermal adaptation and phylogeography of lake chub (with
C. Darveau and P. Schulte).
7. Conservation and recovery
actions for freshwater fishes.
Click HERE
to see a summary of current projects and lab members:
Bull trout from the Attichika River (upper
Peace River (Thutade Lake) drainage, BC).
Photo by Ernest Keeley
Recent Publications: Click HERE
to see some of our recent work.
Photo above: Westslope cutthroat trout from
the Wigwam River (upper Kootenay River drainage),
BC.
Research Collaborators:
Dr. Andrew Hendry, McGill University (andrew.hendry@mcgill.ca):
Gene
flow-selection balance in parapatric "lake-stream" sticklebacks.
Dr. Ernest Keeley, Idaho State University (keelerne@isu.edu):
Patterns and origins of ecotypic
variation in rainbow trout.
Dr. Jan Heggenes, Telemark University College, Norway (jan.heggenes@hit.no). Conservation
genetics of steelhead trout and European grayling.
Dr, Tom Quinn, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University
of Washington, Seattle (tquinn@u.washington.edu).
Evolutionary ecology and genetics of Alaskan freshwater fishes
Dr. Jonathan Witt (jwitt@sciborg.uwaterloo.ca).
Phylogeography and population structure in pygmy whitefish (Prosopium
coulterii).
Dr. Jordan Rosenfeld (jordan.rosenfeld@gov.bc.ca):
Conservation of BC stickleback species pairs.
Current Graduate students:
Carla Crossman (crossman@zoology.ubc.ca):
population structure and conservation of harbour porpoise
Stefan Dick: (dick@zoology.ubc.ca):
connectivity in rockfishes in fjord-like habitats
Jonathan Mee (mee@zoology.ubc.ca):
evolutionary ecology and genetics of Phoxinus dace in North
America
Shannan May-McNally (smcnally@zoology.ubc.ca):
the structure of hybrid zones between Dolly Varden ( Salvelinus malma ) and Arctic char (S. alpinus). Click HERE for more details.
Jean-Sebastien Moore (jsmoore@zoology.ubc.ca):
evolution of dispersal in Arctic char
Jennifer Ruskey (jruskey@zoology.ubc.ca):
genetic consequences of contact between the longnose and Nooksack dace (Rhinichthys cataractae). Click HERE for more details
Matt Siegle (siegle@zoology.ubc.ca):
connectivity in rockfishes (Sebastes)
Monica Yau (yau@zoology.ubc.ca):
environmental physiology and hybridization in native trout
Photo above: Dolly Varden char from Attycelley
Creek
(Thutade Lake drainage).
Photo by Ernest Keeley.
Some of our research sponsors (THANKS!) are:
Last updated Nov. 2011
Department
of Zoology
University of BC
(Vancouver)
