Nordic Network | Molecular Adaptation in Fish (MADFish)

Group leader: Einar Árnason, M.Sc., Ph.D., professor (einararn@hi.is)
Institution: University of Iceland, Department of Biology
Address: Sturlugata 7, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland
Other group members:
   Snæbjörn Pálsson, Ph.D., docent
   Arnar Pálsson, Ph.D., docent
   Guðni M. Eiríksson, Ph.D student
   Katrín Halldórsdóttir, Ph.D. student
   Svava Ingimarsdóttir, Ph.D. student
   Aparna Meerupati, Ph.D. student
   Ubaldo Benitez Hernandez, Ph.D. student
   Hlynur Sigurgíslason, Ph.D. student
   Davíð Tómas Davíðsson, M.Sc. student
   Kristján Kristinsson, M.Sc. research associate
Description of the group and its activities:
This is the population genetics and evolutionary biology group at the University of Iceland, Institute of Biology. Currently the group consists of Einar Arnason, professor of evolutionary biology and population genetics, Snaebjorn Palssson, lecturer, Gudni Magnus Eiriksson Ph.D. student and Katrin Halldorsdottir M.Sc student. Kristjan Kristinsson is research collaborator from the Marine Research Institute in Reykjavik. In addition several undergradudate students are working in the lab in work study and small research projects (10-15ECTS). We also have several Euroepan Erasmus students doing research projects in the lab (20-40 ECTS).

The main interest of the group is natural selection and fitness variation. We study selection in experimental populations of model organisms (flies, worms and yeast) and in natural populations of vertebrates, mainly fish and birds and also humans.

Of direct relevance to the current application we currently are involved in a large project on DNA based population genetics and phylogeography of North Atlantic fish. Atlantic cod and gadoids are prime targets. The low ratio of effective to actual population numbers in high fecundity marine fish due to a high variance in offspring number is one example of an active research question. High variance in offspring numbers may be due to high variance in net fitness. The contribution of selection at individual candidate genes to net fitness variation are also of interst. Other research issues are phylogeogrpahy, gene flow and population structure. The rationale of this work is partly published in a recent paper ( Einar Árnason, 2004. Mitochondrial Cytochrome b DNA Variation in the High Fecundity Atlantic cod: Trans-Atlantic Clines and Shallow Gene-Genealogy. Genetics 166: 1871-1885).