Michael Kinnison
University of Maine, School of Biology and Ecology, Faculty Member
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Research Interests: Geography, Demography, Gene Flow, Population Genetics, Life history, and 19 moreEcological Speciation, Natural Selection, Molecular Ecology, Biological Sciences, Molecular, Guppy, Female, Animals, Male, Trinidad and Tobago, Poecilia Reticulata, Divergent Selection, Poecilia, Life history strategy, Reproductive Isolation, Ecosystem, Genetic Divergence, Mating Behaviour, and Isolation by distance
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Two categories of evolutionary challenges result from escalating human impacts on the planet. The first arises from cancers, pathogens, and pests that evolve too quickly and the second, from the inability of many valued species to adapt... more
Two categories of evolutionary challenges result from escalating human impacts on the planet. The first arises from cancers, pathogens, and pests that evolve too quickly and the second, from the inability of many valued species to adapt quickly enough. Applied evolutionary biology provides a suite of strategies to address these global challenges that threaten human health, food security, and biodiversity. This Review highlights both progress and gaps in genetic, developmental, and environmental manipulations across the life sciences that either target the rate and direction of evolution or reduce the mismatch between organisms and human-altered environments. Increased development and application of these underused tools will be vital in meeting current and future targets for sustainable development.
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Abstract: Between 2.1 and 6.8% of fall-run male chinook,salmon,(Oncorhynchus,tshawytscha ) reared in two New Zealand hatcheries matured as yearling parr, of similar size to immature siblings. The incidence of mature parr in 58 half-sib... more
Abstract: Between 2.1 and 6.8% of fall-run male chinook,salmon,(Oncorhynchus,tshawytscha ) reared in two New Zealand hatcheries matured as yearling parr, of similar size to immature siblings. The incidence of mature parr in 58 half-sib families ranged from 0 to 69% of the available males. Although chinook salmon are normally semelparous, about 80% of mature parr survived to mature again at age 2, and all fish held for another year matured again at age 3. All three ages produced,milt that successfully fertilized eggs. Morphological,development,in mature,parr and repeat- maturing males was consistent with that of older, first time maturing males. The gonadosomatic index for mature age-2 males was 11.7, 7.2, and 5.4% for repeat-maturing males, freshwater-reared males, and sea-run males, respectively. Muscle energy,density for repeat-maturing males (4.45 kJ/g) was lower than for normal,males (5.20‐5.45 kJ/g) and negatively correlated with the gonadosomatic,index. Although we think it un...
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Scale and ontogeny are important in understanding how various ecological processes structure populations. This is expected to be the case for density-dependent effects (DDE), which influence the population dynamics of many organisms. Our... more
Scale and ontogeny are important in understanding how various ecological processes structure populations. This is expected to be the case for density-dependent effects (DDE), which influence the population dynamics of many organisms. Our goal was to evaluate stage-specific DDE on the growth, movement, and survival of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar from the individual to the group level over varying spatial
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Ecosystems are being altered on a global scale by the extirpation of top predators. The ecological effects of predator removal have been investigated widely; however, predator removal can also change natural selection acting on prey,... more
Ecosystems are being altered on a global scale by the extirpation of top predators. The ecological effects of predator removal have been investigated widely; however, predator removal can also change natural selection acting on prey, resulting in contemporary evolution. Here we tested the role of predator removal on the contemporary evolution of trophic traits in prey. We utilized a historical introduction experiment where Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) were relocated from a site with predatory fishes to a site lacking predators. To assess the trophic consequences of predator release, we linked individual morphology (cranial, jaw, and body) to foraging performance. Our results show that predator release caused an increase in guppy density and a "sharpening" of guppy trophic traits, which enhanced food consumption rates. Predator release appears to have shifted natural selection away from predator escape ability and towards resource acquisition ability. Related diet and mesocosm studies suggest that this shift enhances the impact of guppies on lower trophic levels in a fashion nuanced by the omnivorous feeding ecology of the species. We conclude that extirpation of top predators may commonly select for enhanced feeding performance in prey, with important cascading consequences for communities and ecosystems.
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... Counts in the creeks and small ponds were considered highly accurate, as were the counts in large ponds when few fish were present. When there were many fish in the large ponds, the accuracy was about 10%. ... Small ponds 89 128 2 0... more
... Counts in the creeks and small ponds were considered highly accurate, as were the counts in large ponds when few fish were present. When there were many fish in the large ponds, the accuracy was about 10%. ... Small ponds 89 128 2 0 2 Creeks 10 22 1 2 3 ...
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Zoology, Biomechanics, Molecular Evolution, Ecomorphology, and 19 moreSexual dimorphism, Guppy, Adaptive Radiation, Female, Animals, Male, Parallel Evolution, Trinidad and Tobago, Body Size, Poecilia Reticulata, Environmental Gradient, Poecilia, Local adaptation, Evolutionary, Body Shape, Predatory Behavior, Environment, Swimming performance, and Population divergence
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Research Interests: Evolutionary Biology, Population Genetics, Reproduction, Evolution, Climate, and 17 moreSocial behavior, Female, Animals, Male, New Zealand, Selection Combining, Salmon, Divergence, Biological evolution, Reproductive Isolation, Fresh water, Genetic Divergence, Genetic variation, Social Behavior, Biological clocks, Chinook Salmon, and Genetic Correlation
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Self-sustaining populations of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) were established in New Zealand, from a common introduction group, near the turn of the 20th century. To investigate possible population divergence over this... more
Self-sustaining populations of chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) were established in New Zealand, from a common introduction group, near the turn of the 20th century. To investigate possible population divergence over this relatively short time scale we compared size, growth, and hypersalinity tolerance of families from two populations over their first year of rearing under shared conditions. Differences in initial
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... 1995). Differences in size at age and adult body morphology occur within many salmonid species (eg, chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta): Beacham and Murray 1987; sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka): Blair et al. 1993 ...