Research Priorities

The principal aim of the department is to investigate the biology and ecology of the early life stages of fishes. Research is conducted to evaluate and develop appropriate sampling and censusing techniques for fishes, conduct behavioural studies and identify the ecological requirements of fishes in a variety of aquatic habitats. Research combines field and experimental studies to understand and predict the effects of environmental effects (river channelisation, habitat enhancement, artificial flooding, natural variation in river discharge) and biotic interactions (competition, predation, parasitism) on reproduction and recruitment in fishes. The results of many of our studies have wide implications for fisheries and wildlife management and conservation. [More details here and here]

We also conduct field and experimental research using bitterling fishes as a model group to tackle questions in behavioural and evolutionary biology. Bitterlings lay their eggs on the gills of living freshwater mussels and their embryos develop inside the mussel gill cavity. We use bitterling to understand host-parasite adaptation and coevolution, sexual selection, individual and population consequences of alternative mating tactics, sperm competition, and oviposition choice. [More details]

Further, we study the biology and population ecology of one of the main predators on fish, the Eurasian otter. The primary aim of this research is to study feeding ecology and to investigate the population structure of otters using genetic methods, including non-invasive faecal DNA analysis and microsatellite DNA typing. [More details]

Our Department of Fish Ecology is also participating in the Project Ichthyoparasitology Research Centre together with the Masaryk University in Brno and Parasitological Institute, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Ceske Budejovice. Project code LC 05140005.

We also take part in an integrated project MODELKEY, creating models for assessing and forecasting the impact of environmental key pollutants on marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity. This project is funded by EC within the Sixth Framework Programme (SSPI-CT-2003-511237-2). For more information please see web pages www.modelkey.org