Ungava Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) Climate Change Impact and Genetics Studies

Study of climate change effects on anadromous Arctic charr and the genetic diversity within the population. Project objectives are:1.Determine to what degree do species migration phenologies (i.e., run timing) facilitate co-occurrence in estuarine and/or marine habitats. i.e., determine whether do species migrate and return at different times in ways that would facilitate the niche partitioning of nearshore marine resources.2.Determine when co-occurring in estuarine or marine areas are species separated thermally and if thermal separation correlates with growth performance and condition.3.Determine to what degree do feeding niches, as indicated by stable isotope analyses, of species co-occurring in estuarine or marine areas overlap and correlate with condition.4.Characterize the genetic structure of the Nepihjee Arctic char population and determine its connectivity to other southwestern Ungava Bay populations. 5.Measure the influence of management history (annual seeding from a small number of individuals from two distinct populations) on the genetic diversity of the Nepihjee population to help understand the influence of evolutionary phenomena and demographics in the context of the establishment and management of small populations

本研究围绕气候变化对溯河洄游型北极红点鲑（anadromous Arctic charr）及其种群内遗传多样性的影响展开。项目目标如下：
1. 明确物种洄游物候（即洄游时间，run timing）对其在河口及/或海洋生境中实现共存的促进程度；即探究物种是否通过差异化的洄游与归返时间，实现近岸海洋资源的生态位分化。
2. 明确当物种在河口或海洋生境中共存时，是否存在热生境分隔，且该热分隔是否与生长性能及个体体况相关联。
3. 明确在河口或海洋生境中共存的物种，其通过稳定同位素分析（stable isotope analyses）表征的摄食生态位重叠程度如何，以及该重叠度与个体体况的相关性。
4. 表征Nepihjee北极红点鲑种群的遗传结构，并明确其与昂加瓦湾（Ungava Bay）西南部其他种群的连通性。
5. 评估增殖放流历史（即从两个独立种群中选取少量个体开展年度放流）对Nepihjee种群遗传多样性的影响，以助力理解小型种群建立与管理背景下，进化现象与种群统计学的作用机制。