Principal investigators
Arnar Pálsson
Professor in bioinformatics at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences
My research tends to focus on evolutionary genetics, specifically the the genetic and developmental correlates of adaptive changes and neutral modifications of populations and species undergoing evolutionary changes. For the last 13 years I have been working with Arctic charr and also recently the related Brown trout. With our colleagues at University of Iceland we have addressed questions of adaptive divergence in the sympatric morphs in Lake Thingvallavatn, using population genomics and developmental transcriptomics.
Out of the large set of interconnected projects that the group works on, we have been contributing mainly to studies of the population genetics of anadromous charr in Iceland, stream charr and their connectivity with landlocked populations and relationship of plasticity and divergence. The last project involves experimental work to study the levels of developmental plasticity in Arctic charr and how this relates to trophic specializations. We are comparing developmental responses between two sympatric charr pairs, and use anadromous population as a reference group to represent the ancestral plasticity and traits. The experimental treatment was administration of pelagic vs. benthic diet, which mimics the dietary specializations of sympatric charr and diverging salmonids in many systems. We are conducting analyses of external morphology, internal feeding structures and gene expression in fish reared in this experiment. This work is done in collaborations with researchers in Canada and Iceland.
- Sími:525 - 4265
- Netfang:apalsson [at] hi.is
Kalina Kapralova
Research specialist at the Institute for Experimental Pathology at Keldur
My main research focus is on adaptive divergence, parallel evolution and speciation and for the last 15 years I have been working with the very special Arctic charr system in Iceland. I am currently leading two large research projects dealing with the genomic basis of adaptive differentiation of the Thingvallavatn Arctic charr morphs and the evolution of reproductive barriers in sympatric Arctic charr morphs.
Lately, I have also been involved in developing techniques for gathering ecological data which can be used to model the effects anthropogenic activities and climate change will have on salmonid species. The last few years I have been working closely with the Thingvellir National Park, informing them what our latest finding are, supplying photo and video material for their visitor centres. Since 2018 I have been working with Professor Benjamin Hennig from the University of Iceland on developing an efficient, low cost pipeline using commercially available drones and remote sensing techniques to monitor salmonid spawning grounds.
- Netfang:kalina [at] hi.is
Sigríður Rut Franzdóttir
Associate Professor in developmental genetics and molecular biology at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences
Sigríður Rut Franzdóttir
Associate Professor in developmental genetics and molecular biology at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences
The molecular basis for rapid divergence in Icelandic Arctic charr.
- Sími:525 - 4604
- Netfang:sirrut [at] hi.is
Zophonías Jónsson
Professor in molecular genetics at the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences
The molecular basis for rapid divergence in Icelandic Arctic charr.
- Sími:525 - 4084
- Netfang:zjons [at] hi.is
PhD students
Guðbjörg Ósk Jónsdóttir
PhD student
My PhD project is focused on examining phenotypic variation of functional feeding elements in Arctic charr. I’m interested in exploring biodiversity, how organisms adapt to their environment, how such adaptations emerge in development, the effects of genetic, abiotic and biotic factors, and how parallel these adaptations are. I will focus on jawbone shape, using geometric morphometrics.
Han Xiao
PhD candidate
As an under-training evolutionary biologist, I have wide interests in using fish as models to understand local adaptation, divergence, and even speciation. Currently, I am doing my Ph.D. in population genomics of parallel evolution of Icelandic Arctic charr at the University of Iceland. To achieve it, I apply next-generation sequencing techniques (ddRADSeq etc.) and geometric morphometrics to investigate bother the genomic and phenotypic traits of Icelandic Arctic charr and am willing to conduct Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) to further identify key genes and pathways that associate with ecological specialization (e.g. morphology, life history characteristics) in Arctic charr.
Marina de la Cámara
PhD candidate
Interested in evolutionary processes such as ecological diversification and speciation, I started my PhD as part of the Arctic charr group in January 2020. For this project, I will focus on the genomic basis of adaptive differentiation between the four closely related morphs of Arctic charr in lake Þingvallavatn.
Throughout my doctoral studies I will use QTL mapping in combination with population genomics methods to try to disentangle the genomic architecture of traits associated with the divergent phenotypes of Arctic charr.
MSc students
Kenedy Williams
MSc student
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- Sími:555 5555
- Netfang:sigrun.jons@hi.is
Ruhila Goswami
MSc student
My master's project investigates the comparative phenotypic variation of teeth and sexual dimorphism between Arctic charr and brown trout in Iceland. Both these fishes are of different genus genetically, but they share a relatively recent common ancestor within the salmonid family.
Collaborators
Icelandic collaborators
- Benjamin Hennig (Professor, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences)
- Benóný Jónsson (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute)
- Bjarni Kristófer Kristjánsson (Professor, Hólar University)
- Camille Leblanc (Associate professor, Hólar University)
- Finnur Ingimarsson (Thingvellir National Park)
- Haraldur R. Ingvason (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute)
- Magnús Jóhannsson (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute)
- Sigurður S. Snorrason (Professor emeritus, Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences)
- Stefán Már Stefánsson (Marine and Freshwater Research Institute)
International collaborators
- Benedikt Hallgrímsson (Professor, University of Calgary)
- Colin Adams (Professor, University of Glasgow)
- Gustav Hellström (Senior lecturer, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences)
- Ian Dworkin (Professor, McMaster University)
- Sarah S. Steele (Canadian Museum of Nature)