Barrie Robison Department of Biological Sciences University of Idaho Moscow, ID 83843-3051   Phone: 208-885-7137 Fax: 208-885-7905 Email:brobison@uidaho.edu   Ph.D. 1999, Department of Zoology Washington State University     RESEARCH INTERESTS: Genomic Analysis of Quantitative Trait Variation in Fish. RESEARCH SUMMARY: My research focuses on the Genomic analysis of quantitative trait variation in fish, and I study this in both the zebra fish and the rainbow trout. One of my primary research goals is to determine the molecular changes underlying the domestication process. I am using the highly tractable zebra fish as a model system to look for genes that are involved with traits that are known to change during the domestication process, such as surface orientation, startle response, aggression, pigmentation, morphology, fertility, and fecundity. I ultimately plan to use this information to ask whether these same genetic pathways are involved during the domestication of species that are relevant in an economic and/or conservation context, such as the Salmonids of the Pacific Northwest, or the several species of endangered Cyprinids in the Southern U.S. Some specific questions I intend to address shortly after my arrival at the University of Idaho include: What is the mechanism of sex determination in the zebra fish? This relevant in the construction of clonal lines using chromosome set manipulation, a technique I have exploited in the rainbow trout. What genes underlie variatin in sperm production among strains of zebradish? Wild stains of zebra fish produce markedly less sperm than domesticated strains. Is this caused by unconstrained positive selection in the lab environment? What is the cause of sex-specific recombination rates? The clonal lines of rainbow trout available through collaboration with Gary Thorgaard, coupled with masculinization with hormone treatments, provide an opportunity to test whether it is the genetic or phenotypic sex that governs restriction of recombination in the male. Are there reproductive costs associated with domestication? Do domesticated phenotypes experience a change in mating success under natural conditions? REPRESENTATIVE PUBLICATIONS: Coulborne, J.K, B.D. Robison, K. Bogart, M. Lynch. 2004. Five hundred twenty eight microsatellite markers for ecological genomic investigations using Daphnia. Mol. Ecol. Notes. 4: 485-490. Trevarrow, B, and B.D. Robison. 2004. Genetic backgrounds, standard lines, and their husbandry. In: Methods in Cell Biology: The Zebrafish: Cellular and Developmental Biology, Genetics, Genomics and Informatics. 599 - 615 Robison, B.D., and G.H. Thorgaard. 2004 Rapid embryonic development in an Alaskan population of rainbow trout. Trans. Amer. Fish. Soc. 133: 455-461. Thorgaard, G.H., B.D. Robison, P.A. Wheeler, and W.P. Young. Possible approaches for genetic analysis of temperature adaptations in Redband trout. (in press) Proceedings of the American fisheries Society Inland Rainbow Trout Workshop. Thorgaard, G.H., P.A. Wheeler, W.P. Young, B.D. Robison and S.S. Ristow, 2003. Genetic analysis of complex traits using clonal rainbow trout lines. In: Aquatic Genomics: Steps Toward a Great Future. N. Shimizu, T. Aoki, I. Hirono and F. Takashima, eds. Springer, Toykyo, pp. 395-398 Nichols, K.M., W.P. Young, R.G. Danzmann, B.D. Robison, C. Rexroad, M. Noakes, R.B. Phillips, P. Bentzen, I. Spies, K. Knudsen, F.W. Allendorf, B.M. Cunningham, J. Brunelli, H. Zhang, S. Ristow, R. Drew, K.H. Brown, P.A. Wheeler, and G.H. Thorgaard. 2003. A consolidated linkage map for rainbow trout Animal Genetics 34: 102-115. Thorgaard, G.H., G.S. Bailey, D. Williams, D.R. Buhler, S.L. Kaattari, S.S. Ristow, J.D. Hansen, J.R. Winton, J.L. Bartholomew, J.J. Nagler, P.J. Walsh, M.M. Vijayan, R.H. Devlin, R.W. Hardy, K.E. Overturf, W.P. Young, B.D. Robison, C. Rexroad, and Y. Palti, 2002 Status and opportunities for genomics research with rainbow trout. Comp. Bioch. Phys 133: 609-646. Brunelli, J., B.D. Robison, and G.H. Thorgaard. 2001. Ancient and recent duplications in rainbow trout Wilm's tumor genes. Genome 44: 455-462. Robison, B.D., K. Sundin, P. Sikka, P.A. Wheeler, and G.H. Thorgaard. 2001. Composite interval mapping reveals a major locus influencing embryonic development rate in rainbow trout. J. Hered. 96: 16-22. Robison, B.D., P.A. Wheeler, and G.H. Thorgaard. 1999. Variation in development rate among clonal lines of rainbow trout. Aquaculture 173:131-141. Ristow, S.S., L.D. Grabowski, C. Ostberg, B.D. Robison, and G.H. Thorgaard. 1998. Development of long term cell lines from homozygous clones of rainbow trout. J Aquat. Anim. Health 10: 75-82. Hand, C.M., B.D. Robison, J. Fargo, G.W. Workman, and M. Stocker. 1994. R/V W.E. Ricker Assemblage surgery of Hectate Strait, May 17-June 3, 1993. Can. Data Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 925: 197p.