Abstract
Differentiation on the gene level forms the foundation for all evolution and represents the basic unit of biodiversity. Information on the factors influencing the genetic structure of species and populations is hence essential for several ecological and evolutionary processes as for sustainable management of species. A number of studies have found considerable genetic differentiation even in species composed of large numbers of mobile individuals without any obvious extrinsic migration barriers. Few have, however, addressed the underlying mechanisms behind such structures, such as environmental heterogeneity over the species distribution. The aim of this project is to identify major barriers to gene flow in coastal fish species in the Baltic Sea and to relate the barriers to disruption in biotic and abiotic factors. I will use previously collected and mainly unpublished genetic data for perch, pike-perch, whitefish and pike to study the concordance of environmental gradients, life-history variability and heterogeneity in fish community structure with barriers to gene flow, and will cooperate with the Swedish Board of Fisheries and Stockholm University. The suggested proposal will increase our knowledge on the mechanisms behind the genetic structuring of natural populations, how species evolve and cope with environmental variability, and shed light on the factors of importance for the spatial distribution of coastal fish populations.
Sweden