Department Fish Ecology and Evolution

Fish Ecology & Evolution (FishEc)

We study ecology, evolution and biodiversity of fishes and other aquatic organisms. We are interested in the mechanisms that drive the origins, the maintenance and the loss of species, genetic and functional diversity.

 

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News

In the spotlight!

September 20, 2024 –

Our postdoc Alexus has been chosen for a recent "scientist spotlight" in Ichthyology & Herpetology (formerly Copeia). Read her inspiring interview here...

Our postdoc Alexus has been chosen for a recent "scientist spotlight" in Ichthyology & Herpetology (formerly Copeia). Read her inspiring interview here...
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AmNat - Replicated Functional Evolution in Cichlid Adaptive Radiations

September 6, 2024 –

Our postdoc Alexus has recently published a new paper in American Naturalist with her colleagues from University of California studying the functional and morphological diversification in 300 species of cichlid fishes from the...

Our postdoc Alexus has recently published a new paper in American Naturalist with her colleagues from University of California studying the functional and morphological diversification in 300 species of cichlid fishes from the East African Great Lakes and the Neotropics.
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Blue-green biodiversity: recognise, conserve, promote

Art work, Jael Klaus
September 3, 2024 –

Biodiversity is not a political programme: Only just 1.6 % of all documents searched at federal level make reference to the term. This is one of the many results that the WSL and Eawag institutes have compiled in the joint...

Biodiversity is not a political programme: Only just 1.6 % of all documents searched at federal level make reference to the term. This is one of the many results that the WSL and Eawag institutes have compiled in the joint research initiative ‘Blue-Green Biodiversity’ and which are being presented today at the Special Info Day to an expert audience from administration, politics, research and practice.
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Swim with the fish in the Rhine Falls basin

Follow an eel in the Rhine Falls basin, or a salmon thanks to 3D virtual reality (Photo: timescope, computer-generated from the fishoscope).
July 19, 2024 –

With a 3D view through the fishoscope, fish in the Rhine Fall basin can be experienced up close. Eawag has accompanied the pilot project.

With a 3D view through the fishoscope, fish in the Rhine Fall basin can be experienced up close. Eawag has accompanied the pilot project.
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More News from the Department of Fish ecology and evolution

Eawag News

open positions

Technician in Food Web Biochemistry

Seminars

09.10.​2024,
07.11.​2024,
4.00 pm
Eawag Dübendorf, room FC-C20 & Online
Data Science Solutions to Address Environmental Challenges

Latest Publications

Aeschlimann, A., Fehle, P., Neuhaus, M., Seehausen, O., Josi, D., Wegscheider, B., … Zinn, N. (2024). Fünf Stossrichtungen zur Förderung der Gewässerbiodiversität. Erste Impulse des Wyss Academy-Projekts Lanat-3. Aqua & Gas, 104(6), 50-54. , Institutional Repository

In einer Artikelreihe werden die Erkenntnisse der ersten Phase des Wyss Academy-Projekts «Den Biodiversitätsverlust der Gewässer stoppen – trotz Klimawandel» (LANAT-3) vorgestellt. Der erste Artikel fokussiert auf den partizipativen Prozess in der Testregion «Untere Emme», der der Identifikation von Herausforderungen und Lösungsansätzen rund um den Schutz der Gewässerbiodiversität diente. Die resultierenden «5 Stossrichtungen zur Förderung der Gewässerbiodiversität» sind ein Zwischenergebnis. Sie dienen als Grundlage für die Weiterarbeit und liefern erste Impulse.
Ahi, E. P., Verta, J. P., Kurko, J., Ruokolainen, A., Singh, P., Debes, P. V., … Primmer, C. R. (2024). Gene co-expression patterns in Atlantic salmon adipose tissue provide a molecular link among seasonal changes, energy balance and age at maturity. Molecular Ecology. doi:10.1111/mec.17313, Institutional Repository

Sexual maturation in many fishes requires a major physiological change that involves a rapid transition between energy storage and usage. In Atlantic salmon, this transition for the initiation of maturation is tightly controlled by seasonality and requires a high-energy status. Lipid metabolism is at the heart of this transition since lipids are the main energy storing molecules. The balance between lipogenesis (lipid accumulation) and lipolysis (lipid use) determines energy status transitions. A genomic region containing a transcription co-factor of the Hippo pathway, vgll3, is the main determinant of maturation timing in Atlantic salmon. Interestingly, vgll3 acts as an inhibitor of adipogenesis in mice and its genotypes are potentially associated with seasonal heterochrony in lipid storage and usage in juvenile Atlantic salmon. Here, we explored changes in expression of more than 300 genes directly involved in the processes of adipogenesis, lipogenesis and lipolysis, as well as the Hippo pathway in the adipose tissue of immature and mature Atlantic salmon with distinct vgll3 genotypes. We found molecular evidence consistent with a scenario in which immature males with different vgll3 genotypes exhibit contrasting seasonal dynamics in their lipid profiles. We also identified components of the Hippo signalling pathway as potential major drivers of vgll3 genotype-specific differences in adipose tissue gene expression. This study demonstrates the importance of adipose gene expression patterns for directly linking environmental changes with energy balance and age at maturity through genetic factors bridging lipid metabolism, seasonality and sexual maturation.

Research Projects

How will climate change alter the phenology, biomass, and nutritional quality of cross-ecosystem fluxes?

Nutritional phenology with climate change
Coral adaptation to the future climates

simulating response of red sea coral species to rising temperatures
Tropical Reef. Credit Conor Waldock
Simulating the roles of dispersal, thermal tolerance, and adaptive potential in tropical reef fish responses to climate change

simulating tropical fish biodiversity
In this large-scale study we investigate the effects of climate change on fish movement patterns in the Swiss Rhine-Aare River network

Climate change and fish movement patterns

More research projects