Leif Asbjørn Vøllestad

Background

My research effort is mainly aimed at understanding life history variation in fish. Together with students and colleagues, I study why various populations of mainly freshwater fish behave so differently and have so different life histories. We focus our research on life-history traits since such traits are very important for fitness and also for population dynamics.

One main aim is to understand what kind of selection pressure is leading to the patters that we observe. To do this, we use a combination of methods such as classical field observations linked with field experiments, laboratory experiments, quantitative genetic studies as well as theoretical modeling exercises. Recently we have also started using molecular genetic studies in our effort to understand evolutionary and ecological processes at different spatial and temporal scales. Further, we use understanding of individuals to better understand the dynamics of populations, and how such dynamics are influenced by factors such as climate (density independent factors) and various density dependent factors (competition, predation, harvesting). For an updated list of publications: see here.

Scientific pledge

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