Nailing of thesis - Jingyao Niu

– The nailing ceremony, "spikning", symbolises the completion and publication of my dissertation. I appreciate this tradition and welcome this additional chance to celebrate this significant milestone - likely the most important of my life over the past four and a half years - with those I hold dear. I sincerely hope this thesis will spark discussions about ecology and evolution of fish, climate change, and beyond. See you at the defense! says Jingyao.

In her thesis Ecological and evolutionary consequences of ecosystem warming in fish Jingyao investigates how ecosystem-warming affects fish, particularly the Eurasian perch. Jingyao compared perch from an artificially heated area with perch from a neighbouring unheated area over four decades.

Her studies show, among other things, that heat exposure leads to earlier maturation and at smaller body size, and that the first generations of perch exposed to warming invest more in reproduction. The size at sexual maturity became more variable after four to eight generations of warming, indicating an evolutionary component in maturation-related trait responses to warming.

Overall, the thesis demonstrates how climate change can drive evolutionary and ecological changes in wild fish populations, thereby affecting entire ecosystems.

Jingyao with her supervisors Anna Gårdmark (main supervisor), Magnus Huss and Anti Vasemägi.

How to attend the defense

Would you like to attend the defense? Then you are welcome to Uppsala on April 3, at 13-16.

Time: Thursday, April 3, 13-16.
Location: Lennart Kenne's room in BioCentrum, SLU campus Ultuna.
Participate digitally: Zoom (code: 356659).