Joseph Chadwick

Picture of First Last
OEB MS Student
B.A., Wheaton College, 2005
Faculty Advisor: Steve McCormick, Conte Anadramous Fish Lab
jgchadwi@cns.umass.edu

Research Interests

Global warming and fish physiology

I am broadly interested in how global warming may affect cold-water fish species. In spite of the looming threat of global warming, the mechanisms by which temperature affects populations are largely unknown. In particular, I hope to determine the impact of acute and chronic thermal increases on the stress and growth responses in brook trout at the individual and population level. There is increased interest in utilizing mediators of the stress response as indicators of both individual and population level response to environmental stressors such as elevated temperatures. Additionally, elevated temperatures may influence hormonal control of growth via mediators of the stress response. Understanding the relationships between temperature, stress, and growth is essential to understanding the physiological responses to increased temperatures that may be common to many species. Additionally, I hope to describe specific biomarkers that will be useful in determining if brook trout populations have been exposed to stressful temperature increases.