A CHANGING ENVIRONMENT AND LARGE-SCALE POPULATION DYNAMICS

Many fish species inhabit wide distributions (on the order of 100's of miles) and/or undergo large-scale seasonal migrations. The environment across a species' range may differ substantially in physical dynamics (i.e. temperature) and biological dynamics (i.e. prey availability, quality). Investigating large-scale population dynamics in the context of environmental change is important because it can help us understand if certain portions of a population are impacted differently. This information is useful for both anticipating changes in ecosystems (i.e. under distribution shifts) and for fisheries management, as species traverse across multiple state and/or national boundaries. I primarily focus on using specimens collected across their distribution and measuring various energetic and reproductive parameters in the laboratory to assess potential intraspecific differences across a populations.
Relevant Publications
Slesinger, E., Bates, K., Wuenschel, M., Saba, G. 2022. Regional differences in energy allocation of black sea bass (Centropristis striata) along the U.S. Northeast Shelf (36N to 42N) and throughout the spawning season. Journal of Fish Biology, 100, 918-934. [link]
Slesinger, E., Jensen, O.P., Saba. G. 2021. Spawning phenology of a rapidly shifting marine fish species throughout its distribution. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 78(3), 1010-1022. [link]
Slesinger, E., Jensen, O.P., Saba. G. 2021. Spawning phenology of a rapidly shifting marine fish species throughout its distribution. ICES Journal of Marine Science, 78(3), 1010-1022. [link]