What are the costs, limits, and trade-offs of phenotypic plasticity?
One way that animals can cope with environmental change is through phenotypic plasticity, or reversibly changing their morphology (structure) and physiology (function) to better match the new environmental conditions. Our team is examining how quickly different physiological processes can acclimate to environmental stressors. Further, we are investigating the costs and limits of plasticity, and how this varies across species.
Selected Publications:
Van Wert, J.C., K. Birnie-Gauvin, J. Gallagher, E.A. Hardison, K. Landfield, D.E. Burkepile, E.J. Eliason. 2024. Despite plasticity, heatwaves are costly for a coral reef fish. Scientific Reports 14: 13320
Hardison, E.A., G.D. Schwieterman, E.J. Eliason. 2023. Diet changes thermal acclimation capacity, but not acclimation rate, in a marine ectotherm (Girella nigricans) during warming. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 290: 20222505
How do ectotherms respond to environmental variability?
Many aquatic ectotherms live in variable environments (e.g. intertidal temperature and oxygen vary with tidal cycles; freshwater stream temperatures vary diurnally). However, most physiological performance studies are conducted using static acclimation conditions in a laboratory environment, which may not reflect nature. We are combining environmental data with behaviour and physiology assessments to determine how animals cope with heterogenous environmental conditions.
Selected Publications:
Kraskura, K., C.E. Anderson, E.J. Eliason. 2024. Pairing lab and field studies to predict thermal performance of wild fish. Journal of Thermal Biology 119: 103780
Benjamin, J.R., J.B. Dunham, K.J. Anlauf-Dunn, E.J. Eliason. 2023. Climate vulnerability for a desert fish: integrating hydrologic exposures, adaptive capacity, and growth potential. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 80 (11), 1748-1758
Hahlbeck, N., K.J. Anlauf-Dunn, S.J. Piotrowski, J.D. Ortega, W.R. Tinniswood, E.J. Eliason, K.G. O’Malley, M.R. Sloat, M.A. Wyatt, M.E. Hereford, B.S. Ramirez, J.B. Armstrong. 2023. Habitat fragmentation drives divergent survival strategies of a cold-water fish in a warm landscape. Ecosphere 14 (7), e4622
Schwieterman, G.D., E.A. Hardison, E.J. Eliason. 2022. Effect of thermal variation on the cardiac thermal limits of a eurythermal marine teleost (Girella nigricans). Current Research in Physiology 5: 109-117
Minke-Martin, V., S.G. Hinch, D.C. Braun, N.J. Burnett, M.T. Casselman, E.J. Eliason, C.T. Middleton. 2018. Physiological condition and migratory experience affect fitness-related outcomes in adult female sockeye salmon Ecology of Freshwater Fish 27: 296-309
How does catch and release fishing impact physiological recovery and survival?
Millions of fish are captured and released across fishing sectors (e.g. commercial, recreational, subsistence). Our research is examining how context (sex, species, size, population, handling, gear type, location, temperature) impacts physiological recovery and survival.
Selected Publications:
Prystay, T.S., E.J. Eliason, M.J. Lawrence, M. Dick, J.W. Brownscombe, D.A. Patterson, G.T. Crossin, S.G. Hinch, S.J. Cooke. 2017. The influence of water temperature on sockeye salmon heart rate recovery following simulated fisheries interactions. Conservation Physiology 5: cox050; doi:10.1093/conphys/cox050
Raby, G.D., M.R. Donaldson, S.G. Hinch, T.D. Clark, E.J. Eliason, K.M. Jeffries, K.V. Cook, A. Teffer, A.L. Bass, K.M. Miller, D.A. Patterson, A.P. Farrell, S.J. Cooke. 2015. Fishing for effective conservation: context and biotic variation key to understanding the survival of Pacific salmon after catch-and-release. Integrative and Comparative Biology 55: 554-576
Gale, M.K., S.G. Hinch, S.J. Cooke, M.R. Donaldson, E.J. Eliason, K.M. Jeffries, E.G. Martins, D.A. Patterson. 2014. Observable impairments predict mortality of captured and released sockeye salmon at various temperatures. Conservation Physiology 2: 10.1093/conphys/cou029
Gale, M.K., S.G. Hinch, E.J. Eliason, S.J. Cooke, D.A. Patterson. 2011. Physiological impairment of adult sockeye salmon in fresh water after simulated capture-and-release across a range of temperatures. Fisheries Research 112: 85-95
