About me
My research focuses on landscape population genetics in freshwater fish across Switzerland, with an emphasis on metapopulations in the Anthropocene. I aim to understand how these metapopulations are shaped by the interaction of neutral processes (e.g., geographic distance), adaptive processes (e.g., local environment), and anthropogenic influences (e.g., barriers and stocking). I do my research as a member of the River Fish Ecology group at Eawag, Kastanienbaum.
My primary method is microsatellite analysis, which provides insights into fine-scale, recent population dynamics by targeting highly mutable non-coding regions of the genome. This approach allows for rapid analysis of a large number of individuals. The process begins with DNA extraction from fish samples (typically fin clips), followed by amplification of regions containing repetitive nucleotide sequences. Using clustering algorithms that group genotypes by similarity, we assign fish to genetic clusters, revealing historical and contemporary patterns of admixture.
Genetic Metapopulation Structure of Lake-Migratory Atlantic Trout
We investigate the population structure of Atlantic trout (Salmo trutta) in Swiss lakes and rivers to understand how factors such as water distance, physical barriers (isolation by distance), river discharge (isolation by environment), and stocking (isolation by management) drive genetic differentiation. By examining genetic diversity, effective population sizes, and allelic richness, we assess the health and stability of these populations.
Our research spans multiple scales—both across Switzerland as a whole and within individual lake systems (including their inflows and outflows). For lake-specific analysis, we use stream-resident morphs to define stream metapopulations. These serve as reference genotypes, allowing us to assign lake-caught fish (collected through a citizen-science effort with local fishermen) to specific streams or genetic clusters. This approach provides insights into partial migration within lake-river systems.
