COSAM News Articles 2024 02 Evolutionary ecologist works on 15-year international research collaboration with insight into the impact of density-dependence on populations

Evolutionary ecologist works on 15-year international research collaboration with insight into the impact of density-dependence on populations

Published: 02/20/2024

By: Maria Gebhardt

Ronald D. Bassar, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is part of a team of five researchers whose work, Population Regulation and Density-Dependent Demography in the Trinidadian Guppy, was published in the journal, The American Naturalist.

Nature featured a ‘NEWS AND VIEWS’ article, How population size shapes the evolution of guppy fish, highlighting the results of the research focusing on the role of density-dependent regulation of population size in the evolutionary processes.

“I am excited that years of dedicated research can help fill the gaps of research that was lacking in key areas in the scientific field,” said Bassar. “This data provides valuable information about the evolution of these fish that will help other researchers unlock future results."

The research was focused on Trinidadian guppies, a species of small stream fish in Trinidad, West Indies. A central feature of the research that allowed the team to address questions about population regulation was the long-term monthly capture-mark-recapture program started in 2008. One of the most intriguing results of the study was that juvenile-aged fish are a key factor in the regulation of the entire population of the species.

In addition to Bassar, the team includes lead author Joseph Travis, Department of Biological Science, Florida State University; Tom Coulson, Department of Biology, University of Oxford; Andres Lopez-Sepulcre, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University; and David Reznick, Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, University of California.

Bassar was the recipient of a $1.6 million award from the National Science Foundation in 2023.

In the Bassar Lab at Auburn University, the team seeks to learn more about environmental changes that impact evolution in fish including these Trinidadian guppies. The international collaboration for the Guppy Project can be seen on their website or Instagram page.