Genome sequencing to evaluate molecular adaptation in the Deepwater Sculpin for life in deep and cold Canadian lakes.
The Deepwater Sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) is a fish species found almost exclusively in the deepest and coldest Canadian lakes. Its range includes the Laurentian Great Lakes and the Gatineau region of Quebec, and extends westward and northwards through the deepest lakes of Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan to Great Slave and Great Bear Lakes in the Northwest Territories. We will use the Deepwater Sculpin genome to (1) investigate molecular adaptations to freshwater environments, (2) study visual adaptations required for survival in the deep, cold, and extremely light limited environments inhabited by the Deepwater sculpin, and (3) understand the biogeographic history of "glacial relicts" in Canada.