| Micro-Evolutionary process in anadromous salmonids |
My interests lie in the integration of evolutionary ecology and genetics of salmonid fishes, with a special emphasis in elucidating the mechanisms underlying the processes of colonization, adaptation, and contemporary evolution of species and populations. Specifically, my research seeks to explore the genetic and environmental causes of phenotypic and adaptive divergence in evolutionary young lineages of anadromous salmonids introduced to Patagonia and understand how phenotypic differences lead to variation in individuals’ adaptive potential (fitness).
I consider that the integration of ecology and genetics provides an ideal setting for elucidating the evolutionary and demographic history of populations, determining those biogeographical, ecological, phenotypic, and genetic processes responsible for their divergence, and identifying the mechanisms involved in the evolution and maintenance of neutral and non-neutral variation within and among populations. This information is essential for understanding about the patterns and processes shaping biological diversity and, as such, has important applications for population management and conservation.
Between 1998 and 2004 my doctoral research was focused on elucidating the genetic and environmental bases of anadromy and residency in introduced rainbow trout in Patagonia. The major aim of this study was to determine the contribution of genetics, selection, and variation at the geographical (Patagonia), environmental (Santa Cruz River) and individual scales (early growth trajectories) on the evolution of alternative life histories in the rainbow trout across the latitudinal gradient of Patagonia.
In 2005 I started a research program aimed at elucidating the molecular architecture of invasion, adaptive phenotypic variation and population divergence associated to the process of salmonid radiation in Patagonia. By combining neutral and quantitative genetics I plan to study the pace, patterns and processes of salmonid diversification in three replicate systems representing different stages of the micro-evolutionary process: on-going invasion and colonization of Chinook salmon in Patagonian basins; evolution of intra-population variation for anadromy in Santa Cruz River rainbow trout; and genetic population structuring of sympatric anadromous and non-anadromous brown trout among different Patagonian rivers.
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 Riva-Rossi, C., M.A. Pascual, J.A. Babaluk, M. García-Asorey and N.M. Halden. 2007. Intra-population variation in anadromy and reproductive life span in rainbow trout introduced in the Santa Cruz River, Argentina. Journal of Fish Biology 70, 1–18
Riva Rossi, C., E. Lessa, and M. Pascual. 2004. Origins of introduced rainbow trout in the Santa Cruz River as inferred by mitochondrial DNA. Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences 61: 1095-1101.
Riva Rossi, C.M., M. Arguimbau y M.A Pascual. 2003. The range and timing of the spawning migration of anadromous rainbow trout in the Santa Cruz River, Patagonia (Argentina) through radio – tracking. Ecología Austral 13: 151 - 159.
Pascual, M.A., P. Bentzen, C. Riva Rossi, G. Mackey, M. Kinnison y R. Walker. 2001. First documented case of anadromy in a population of introduced rainbow trout in Patagonia, Argentina. Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 130:53-67.
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