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Project: Impacts of fishways and dispersal barriers on evolution, population dynamics and viability of spawning-migrating fish

Many rivers and streams globally and in Sweden have been modified by dams associated with mills and hydroelectric power plants. To mitigate their potentially devastating impacts and provide migrating fish access to upstream spawning areas, dam constructions have been accompanied by man-made dispersal enhancing fauna passages or fishways (FWs). This projects aims to examine how different types of FWs and migration barriers impact on selection, phenotypic trait distributions, genetic structure, population dynamics, evolution and viability of spawning migrating fish populations.

Project information

Project manager
Anders Forsman
Other project members
Petter Tibblin, Linnaeus University; Erik Peterson, SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
Participating organizations
Linnaeus University, SLU (Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
Financiers
The Formas research council, Stiftelsen Oscar & Lili Lamms Minne
Timetable
1 Jan 2018-31 Dec 2020
Subject
Biology, evolutionary ecology (Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences)

Photo: Anders Forsman

More about the project

Background

Many rivers and streams globally and in Sweden have been modified by dams associated with mills and hydroelectric power plants. To mitigate their potentially devastating impacts and provide migrating fish access to upstream spawning areas, dam constructions have been accompanied by man-made dispersal enhancing fauna passages or fishways (FWs).

Overall aim

To examine how different types of FWs and migration barriers impact on selection, phenotypic trait distributions, genetic structure, population dynamics, evolution and viability of spawning migrating fish populations.

Approaches

Comparisons based on data from a combination of observational, experimental and genetics approaches in natural and modified watercourses will inform about the role of directional, stabilizing and disruptive selection on dispersal related traits, and about any resulting evolutionary shifts and population dynamic responses to spatial variation and temporal changes (environmental makeovers) in river connectivity. Replicated comparisons in multiple species (Atlantic salmon, brown trout, pike, perch, and European eel) of high ecological and socioeconomic importance will enable assessment of generality.

Deliverables

New knowledge, informed management, and development of best-practice for FW design have potential to strengthen spawning migrating fish stocks, boost sustainable fishing opportunities, and ultimately improve ecosystem functioning of watercourses, lakes and the coastal Baltic Sea.

The project is connected to Linnaeus University Centre for Ecology and Evolution in Microbial model Systems. It is part of the research in the Evolutionary Ecology and Fish Ecology research groups.

Staff