Research Interests:
The examination of life history variation in White Sucker (Catostomus commersoni) populations throughout drainages in
North Dakota
and
Minnesota
My doctoral research will be focusing on the examination of life history variation in White Sucker (Catostomus commersoni) populations throughout drainages in
North Dakota
and
Minnesota
. Despite considerable development of the theories of life history evolution, mechanisms regulating life history traits in free-living vertebrates are not well known. White suckers inhabiting drainages in
North Dakota
and
Minnesota
provide an excellent model system for exploring relationships between the aquatic environment and physiological mechanisms regulating maturation. Moreover, evidence from Canadian lake populations indicates rates of maturation vary with water chemistry and
lake
morphometry
(McFarlane and Franzin, 1978 and Trippel and Harvey, 1987). Throughout
Minnesota
and
North Dakota
reproducing populations are present in both lacustrine and riverine habitats. These habitats exhibit considerable variation in their physical characteristics, including hydrology, water chemistry, substrate and temperatures. By examining populations throughout the basins using standard fisheries techniques (e.g., length-weight relationships, size at age analysis using scales, length-fecundity relationships) to quantify growth and maturation, and coupling this with physiological measurements (e.g., metabolic rate, blood hormone levels), a unique opportunity exists to determine correlative relationships between reproductive life history gradients and environmental gradients. In addition, a mark-recapture transplant studies with juvenile suckers will provide a field experiment to establish the degree of compensation in maturation within a population.
Other Interests:
I enjoy fly-fishing, hunting, hiking, camping, mountain climbing, white water rafting, herping, birding, fish sampling, taxidermy, and wildlife photography. All these activities are enjoyed with my wife Jessica and two dogs Hera and Zeus.
Forest River, ND
|
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Straight River, MN
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White Sucker (Catostomus commersoni)
White Sucker (Catostomus commersoni)
