In collaboration with the Molecular Laboratory of the Royal Institute of Natural Sciences.
In Flanders (Belgium), many fish species are declining at an alarming rate, several species have gone extinct in the last few decades, and many more risk the same fate. Water pollution and river management practices have reduced and extensively altered aquatic habitats. For many species, the number of populations as well as the number of individuals per population have decreased dramatically. Moreover, it seems very difficult for individuals to develop genetic adaptations to their polluted habitats, since adaptation through natural selection is a relatively slow process. Surprisingly, previous studies reveal that various species are capable of developing adaptations to changing environments at fast rates. Studying the occurence of genetic adaptations in natural fish populations inhabiting polluted streams can therefore be of great value to evaluate the consequences of human activities on aquatic ecosystems. This is of vital importance for setting up conservation strategies.
