Emily Rubidge

Ph.D Candidate

Office: Room 4, Mulford Hall
erubidge@berkeley.edu
Phone/Fax: 510-643-3918
Mailing address: 137 Mulford Hall #3114 University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-3114
M.Sc. University of British Columbia, 2003
B.Sc. University of Victoria, 1999

Research Interests

My research interests center around how human-induced environmental change affects population dynamics and genetic population structure of native vertebrate species. More specifically, I ask questions about how land-use change, climate change, and invasive species influence the abundance, and genetic diversity of threatened or vulnerable vertebrate fauna. In addition to contributing to the accurate assessment of environmental impacts on native biodiversity, I am also interested in the application of my research in the design and implementation of practical and effective solutions to reduce these impacts.

For my dissertation research, I am investigating the influence of environmental changes over the last century on current distributions and genetic diversity of small mammals in several study areas in California. My research is a central component of the Grinnell Resurvey Project, (http://mvz.berkeley.edu/Grinnell/) a large-scale effort to survey birds, herptofauna and mammals at the 700 localities where they were first sampled 90 years ago by Joseph Grinnell of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology (MVZ).

My Master’s research examined the genetic effects of rainbow trout introductions on native westslope cutthroat trout populations in southeast British Columbia. Westslope cutthroat trout have a restricted range and are threatened by hybridization and introgression with non-native rainbow trout throughout their historic range in Canada and the United States. My study area, the Upper Kootenay River drainage, was once thought as a genetic refuge for pure westslope cutthroat populations, but my thesis indicated that hybridization has occurred in 78% of the 23 populations tested. In addition, I found little evidence environmental parameters hindering the rate of hybridization and no evidence for selection against hybrid individuals. My results suggested that if left unchecked, hybridization will continue to spread throughout the drainage.

Curriculum Vitae

Publications

Rew, M.B., Peery, Z., Beissinger, S., Berube, M., Lozier, J., Rubidge E., and Pasboll, P. (in press, accepted Oct. 7, 2005) Cloning and characterization of twenty-nine tetranucleotide and two dinucleotide polymorphic microsatellite loci from the endangered marbled murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus). Molecular Ecology Notes. PDF

Rubidge, E. and Taylor, E.B. (2005) An analysis of spatial and environmental factors influencing hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki lewisi) and introduced rainbow trout (O. mykiss) in the upper Kootenay River drainage, British Columbia. Conservation Genetics, 6: 369-384. PDF

Rubidge, E. and Taylor, E.B. (2004) Hybrid zone structure and the potential role of selection in hybridizing populations of introduced rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and native westslope cutthroat trout (O. clarki lewisi). Molecular Ecology. 13: 3735-3749. PDF

Smith, C. T., Nelson, R. J., Pollard, S., Rubidge, E., McKay, S., Rodzen, J., May, B. and Koop, B. (2002) Population genetic analysis of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) in the Fraser River. Journal of Applied Ichthyology 18: 307-312.

Krebs, C. J., Bredesen, E., Coombs, A., Daniel, R., de Graaf, R., Elz, A., Hall, A., Hooper, L., Hoover, T., Janmaat, A., Mehranvar, L., Rubidge, E., Slooten, G., Tamkee, P., and Welstead, K. 2001. Graphical Presentation of Data in the Journal Ecology. Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America. 247-248.

Rubidge, E., P. Corbett, and E. B. Taylor. (2001) A molecular analysis of hybridization between native westslope cutthroat trout and introduced rainbow trout in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Fish Biology. 59:42-54.