Concordia University
Postdoctoral fellow candidate
Supervisor: Dylan Fraser
Start: 2016-06-20
End: 2019-05-01
Personal page

Project

Genomics in conservation and fisheries management of freshwater fishes
Reductions in body length and mass between historical and contemporary sampling in exploited fish species can be a reflection of fishing pressure, and may indicate a need to manage populations. Walleye (Sander vitreus) populations in in a northern lake in Quebec were sampled for life history characters’ total length and mass in 2002/2003 and 2015, in four different rivers (southern: 1-3; northern: 1). Linear models revealed that between these time points reductions in both length (between 11 and 21%), and mass (between 24 and 39%) have occurred in the three southern rivers, but not the northern river. The greatest size reductions occurred in female fish. Over this time period there has also been a considerable increase in local human population size and in fishing-based tourism. In my Post-Doc, I am conducting genomics screening of both historical and contemporary walleye samples to determine whether body length and mass reductions are associated with reductions in effective population size or genetic diversity. Collaborations with the local community to develop management and monitoring plans for these populations have been undertaken.

Publications

1- Genetic basis for body size variation between an anadromous and two derived lacustrine populations of threespine sticklebackGasterosteus aculeatusin southwest Alaska
Bowles, Ella, Rebecca A. Johnston, Stevi L. Vanderzwan, Sean M. Rogers
2016 Current Zoology

2- Proportion of prey consumed can be determined from faecal DNA using real-time PCR
BOWLES, ELLA, PATRICIA M. SCHULTE, DOMINIC J. TOLLIT, BRUCE E. DEAGLE, ANDREW W. TRITES
2011 Molecular Ecology Resources

3- Profiling genomic copy number changes in retinoblastoma beyond loss ofRB1
Bowles, Ella, Timothy W. Corson, Jane Bayani, Jeremy A. Squire, Nathalie Wong, Paul B.-S. Lai, Brenda L. Gallie
2007 Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer

4- Faecal DNA amplification in Pacific walruses (Odobenus rosmarus divergens)
Bowles, Ella, Andrew W. Trites
2013 Polar Biology

5- Characterizing phenotypic divergence using three-dimensional geometric morphometrics in four populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus; Pisces: Gasterosteidae) in Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Pistore, A.E., T.N. Barry, E. Bowles, R. Sharma, S.L. Vanderzwan, S.M. Rogers, H.A. Jamniczky
2016 Canadian Journal of Zoology

6- The consequences of genomic architecture on ecological speciation in postglacial fishes
Rogers, Sean M., Jonathan A. Mee, Ella Bowles
2013 Current Zoology