A5017156029- Fish Ecology and Management Studies
- Telomeres, Telomerase, and Senescence
- Aquaculture Nutrition and Growth
- Automotive and Human Injury Biomechanics
- Freshwater macroinvertebrate diversity and ecology
- Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology and Behavior
- Nuclear and radioactivity studies
- Transportation Safety and Impact Analysis
- Urban, Neighborhood, and Segregation Studies
- Microplastics and Plastic Pollution
- Marine and fisheries research
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Vibrio bacteria research studies
- Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Urbanization and City Planning
- Manufacturing Process and Optimization
- Animal Genetics and Reproduction
- Advanced biosensing and bioanalysis techniques
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Bacterial Infections and Vaccines
- Respiratory viral infections research
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Fish biology, ecology, and behavior
- Vehicle Dynamics and Control Systems
University of Glasgow
2015-2024
Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology
2019-2023
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
2023
Marine Scotland
2013
A larger body size confers many benefits, such as increased reproductive success, ability to evade predators and competitive social status. However, individuals rarely maximize their growth rates, suggesting that this carries costs. One cost could be faster attrition of the telomeres cap ends eukaryotic chromosomes play an important role in chromosome protection. relatively short telomere length is indicative poor biological state, including poorer tissue organ performance, reduced potential...
Abstract Researchers from diverse disciplines, including organismal and cellular physiology, sports science, human nutrition, evolution ecology, have sought to understand the causes consequences of surprising variation in metabolic rate found among within individual animals same species. Research this area has been hampered by differences approach, terminology methodology, context which measurements are made. Recent advances provide important opportunities identify address key questions...
Ecological pressures such as competition can lead individuals within a population to partition resources or habitats, but the underlying intrinsic mechanisms that determine an individual's resource use are not well understood. Here we show own energy demand and associated competitive ability influence its use, only when food is more limiting. We tested whether intraspecific variation in metabolic rate leads microhabitat partitioning among juvenile Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) natural...
Abstract Organisms can modify their surrounding environment, but whether these changes are large enough to feed back and alter evolutionary trajectories is not well understood, particularly in wild populations. Here we show that nutrient pulses from decomposing Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) parents selection pressures on offspring with important consequences for phenotypic genetic diversity. We found a strong survival advantage larger eggs faster juvenile metabolic rates streams lacking...
There is increasing evidence from endothermic vertebrates that telomeres, which cap the ends of chromosomes and play an important role in chromosome protection, decline length during postnatal life are a useful indicator physiological state expected lifespan. However, much less currently known about telomere dynamics ectothermic vertebrates, likely to differ endotherms, at least part due sensitivity ectotherm physiology environmental temperature. We report here on experiment Atlantic salmon...
Abstract The risk of mortality associated with a long‐distance migration will depend on an animal's physiological state, as well the prevailing ecological conditions. Here, we assess whether juvenile telomere length, which in endotherms has been shown to be biomarker state and expected life span, predicts wild Atlantic salmon Salmo salar successfully complete their marine migration. Over 1,800 fish were trapped, measured, passive integrated transponder tagged tissue biopsy taken when...
The importance of parental contributions to offspring development and subsequent performance is self-evident at a genomic level; however, parents can also affect fitness by indirect genetic environmental routes. life history strategy that an individual adopts will be influenced both genes environment; this may have important consequences for offspring. Recent research has linked telomere dynamics (i.e., length loss) in early future viability longevity. Moreover, number studies reported...
Abstract The net transport of nutrients by migratory fish from oceans to inland spawning areas has decreased due population declines and migration barriers. Restoration increasingly oligotrophic upland streams (that were historically salmon areas) have shown short‐term benefits for juvenile salmon, but the longer term consequences are little known. Here we simulated deposition a small number adult Atlantic Salmo salar carcasses at end period in five Scottish (‘high parental nutrient’...
Abstract Habitat quality can have far‐reaching effects on organismal fitness, an issue of concern given the current scale habitat degradation. Many temperate upland streams reduced nutrient levels due to human activity. Nutrient restoration confers benefits in terms invertebrate food availability and subsequent fish growth rates. Here we test whether these mitigation measures also affect rate cellular ageing fish, measured telomeres that cap ends eukaryotic chromosomes. We equally...
Abstract Large effect loci often contain genes with critical developmental functions and potentially broad effects across life stages. However, their stage-specific fitness consequences are rarely explored. In Atlantic salmon, variation in two large-effect loci, six6 vgll3, is linked to age at maturity several physiological behavioral traits early life. By genotyping the progeny of wild salmon that were planted into natural streams nutrient manipulations, we tested if genetic these...
In many taxa there is considerable intraspecific variation in life-history strategies from within a single population, reflecting alternative routes through which organisms can achieve successful reproduction. Atlantic salmon Salmo salar (Linnaeus) show some of the greatest within-population variability life history amongst vertebrates, with multiple discrete male and female histories co-existing interbreeding on spawning grounds, although effect various combinations offspring traits remains...
Different strategies of reproductive mode, either oviparity (egg-laying) or viviparity (live-bearing), will be associated with a range other life-history differences that are expected to affect patterns ageing and longevity. It is usually difficult compare the effects alternative modes because evolutionary ecological divergence. However, very rare exemplars bimodality, in which different exist within single species, offer an opportunity for robust controlled comparisons.One trait interest...
At cold winter temperatures, juvenile salmonids typically spend much of their time sheltering from predators, which negatively impacts foraging for food. Previous work shows that inter-individual variation in mitochondrial efficiency explains food intake, growth and metabolic rate. Here, we examine whether predicts as a proxy patterns overwintering Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ). PIT-tagged were housed individually under conditions, use custom-built shelter was recorded automatically. In...
Bacterial kidney disease (BKD), caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum, is a bacterial of fish, which both geographically widespread and difficult to control. Previously, application various molecular typing methods has failed reliably discriminate between R. salmoninarum isolates originating from different host species geographic areas. The current study aimed utilize multilocus variable number tandem repeats (VNTR) investigate inter-strain variation establish whether host-specific...
Around 30% of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar smolts successfully survived passage through Loch Meig, a reservoir in the north Scotland, en route to sea. However, this survival rate was turn dependent on timing migration, with earliest migrants spring having best chance survival. This could have implication for fisheries management, since estimation smolt downstream may be influenced by which time period run is analysed.
The practice of 'catch and release' (C&R) angling confers a balance between animal welfare, conservation efforts preserving the socio-economic interests recreational angling. However, C&R can still cause exhaustion physical injury, often exposes captured fish to stress air exposure. Therefore, true success depends on whether angled individuals then survive reproduction there are any persisting effects subsequent generations. Here we tested hypothesis that is passed offspring. We...
Abstract Rationale Pneumococcal pneumonia remains a global health problem. colonisation increases local and systemic protective immunity, suggesting nasal administration of live attenuated S. pneumoniae strains could help prevent infections. Objectives We used controlled human infection model to investigate whether nasopharyngeal with protected against re-colonisation wild-type (WT) (Spn). Methods Healthy adults aged 18-50 years were randomised (1:1:1:1) for twice (two weeks interval)...
Abstract Large effects loci often contain genes with critical developmental functions potentially broad across life-stages. However, the life-stage-specific fitness consequences are rarely explored. In Atlantic salmon, variation in two large-effect loci, six6 and vgll3 , is linked to age at maturity, several physiological behavioural traits early life. By genotyping progeny of wild salmon that were planted into natural streams nutrient manipulations, we tested if genetic these associated...
Abstract In partially migratory species, individuals either migrate at some point(s) in life or reside within their natal habitat throughout life. For salmonid fish, migration creates opportunities for feeding and growth, but it is also associated with increased mortality risk. Such trade‐offs likely differ between the sexes, since reproductive output more closely tied to body size females than males. However, testing hypotheses on sex‐specific behaviour would‐be first‐time salmonids...
Future warming scenarios are predicted to result in an increased frequency of high, and potentially stressful, temperatures aquatic ecosystems. Here we examined whether the performance wild underyearling Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) Scottish streams stocked with identical egg densities was influenced by thermal stress. Biomass density declined degree hours exceeding 23°C, indicating apparent mortality or emigration as a possible exposure high temperatures. These results strengthen need for...