Predicting possible genetic change in Arctic fish species undergoing range shifts
Dr Eleanor K Bors1, Michaela Aschan2, Raul Primicerio2
1Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, United States, 2Norwegian College of Fishery Science, University of Tromsø , Tromsø, Norway
Abstract:
Climate change is affecting the distribution of some marine fish species, with documented changes in commercially and culturally important species in many regions including the Arctic. Range shifts may have genetic consequences for fish species stemming from the complex relationships of spatial distribution to other aspects of fish biology (e.g., growth rates and health), ecology (e.g., trophic dynamics), and population dynamics. These genetic changes may alter biodiversity, fish evolution, and stock structure. Here, I will present a project that investigates possible genetic consequences of range shifts for species in the Barents Sea, addressing the question: What types of evolutionary change driven by distributional shifts might affect Arctic fisheries? I will summarize the status of knowledge about Barents Sea fish stock population genetics and describe how evolutionary and population genetic processes involved in distributional shifts might affect fish species in the future.
Biography:
Eleanor “Ellie” Bors is a marine biologist with policy experience whose research has spanned numerous environments from the deep sea to coastal waters. Her research has an emphasis on the use of genetics to better understand population dynamics and evolution. She is currently a Postdoctoral Scholar in the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State University and a Fulbright Arctic Initiative Scholar studying the biological and policy implications of shifting distributions of Arctic fish stocks in Norway. In 2017, Ellie was a Knauss Marine Policy Fellow in the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Office of International Affairs. She holds a Ph.D. from the MIT-Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Joint Program in Oceanography.