The Daily Bulletin

Please join the Biology Department and the Great Lakes Center for the seminar "Catching a Great Lakes Killer: A Story of Genomics, Genealogy, and Modeling the Ecology of a Blood-Sucking Fish," presented by Nicholas Sard, assistant professor of biological sciences and researcher at SUNY Oswego, on Monday, October 3, at 3:00 p.m. in Bulger Communication Center 214. Dr. Sard defines himself as an evolutionary ecologist interested in the evolution of life history traits, demography, and conservation. His lab uses genetics-based approaches to answer questions relevant to species of conservation concern with particular focus on aquatic species of the Great Lakes Basin.

Abstract
Over the last 10,000 years, an incredibly unique deepwater fish community has evolved in the massive body of water we call the Great Lakes. This fish community consists of a group of prey fishes collectively called ciscos, and a top predator, the lake trout; however, over the past 300 years, the Great Lakes have become one of the most invaded systems in the world—with the current number of non-indigenous species found within the basin totaling nearly 200. Numerous studies have demonstrated that invasive species cause financial burdens to local economies and negatively affect species in an ecosystem. In the Great Lakes, one of the most well-known invasive species is the sea lamprey, because the blood-sucking, parasitic phase of their life cycle kills most hosts. Unsurprisingly, cisco and lake trout populations plummeted after the establishment and spread of sea lamprey throughout the Great Lakes. Today, a lamprey-specific pesticide, which is at least 85 percent effective, is applied annually to tributaries throughout the Great Lakes, yet the adult population size is still larger than expected. In this talk, Dr. Sard will share how he and his colleagues are evaluating the feasibility of using genomic tools he created to solve a major question that sea lamprey managers are trying to answer: Where are all the adult lamprey coming from?

Note: Coffee and cookie reception begins at 2:30 p.m. Seminar begins at 3:00 p.m.