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Aquatic Genetics and Physiology - AquaGenPhy

Aquatic Genetics and Physiology - AquaGenPhy

AquaGenPhy will be a multidisciplinary group focusing on understanding aquatic biodiversity, evolution, ecology, physiology and behaviour. Our target taxa will span from microbes to vertebrates, and our questions will address whole-community to individual-level processes using a combination of molecular genetics, experimental biology and ecology, physiological techniques and behavioral studies. There will be a strong focus in investigating the role of the host's microbiome in health and disease states, as well as the role of immunogenetics and sociality in shaping microbiota diversity and composition,and the role of neuroendocrinology in modulating animal social response (and vice versa). The group's research topics are structured into three major themes as follows: 

1. Aquatic biodiversity and evolution - focusing on describing and understanding the diversity of aquatic organisms, and its main patterns and processes of diversification. The current interests in the group focus on:
a. microbial community diversity and host interactions during health and disease states, with strong interest in aquaculture settings
b. microparasite diversity and host co-evolution
c.  fish and elasmobranch diversity and population genetics/genomics
d.  biodiversity monitoring and fisheries management/aquaculture 

2. Aquatic ecology – focusing on reconstructing the species- and individual-level interactions occurring in marine taxa, with particular emphasis on:
a. feeding ecology and trophic interactions, and how they are affected by disturbances or habitat changes
b. behavioral ecology, namely investigating the role of fish sociality in microbial transmission
c. ecological immunology, specifically understanding immune gene diversity within an ecological and evolutionary perspective
d. host-parasite interactions 

3. Animal neurophysiology -  focusing on understanding social and cooperative behaviour mostly from an integrative/proximate approach, in tracing  individual  behavioural differences to their neuroendocrine mechanisms and also in using a behavioural-physiological outlook to invasive ecology and aquaculture. Specifically:            
a. social and cooperative neuro-endocrinology 
b. fish  stress response and welfare: implications to aquaculture
c. behavioural neuroendocrinology of native-invasive population interactions
d. behavioural and physiological response to change in aquatic animals: effects of climate change
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