PhD Student, M.Sc.

Rebecca E. Holt

My PhD is in connection with the Nordic Centre of Excellence NorMER (The Nordic Centre for Research on Marine Ecosystems and Resources under Climate Change).

I will focus on the bioenergetics and optimal energy allocation of Atlantic cod in response to climate change using a theoretical modelling approach.

The aim is to derive hypotheses for how combined effects of climate warming and harvesting upon life history adaptation and consequences for population dynamics of Atlantic cod.

Physiological data from the literature on individual fish performance will be used to build a state-dependent bioenergetics model that optimizes life-long energy allocation. The model will test temperature dependent effects on Atlantic cod life history and population parameters, focusing specifically on the evolutionary response. Allocation and the physiological responses of growth, storing energy and reproduction will be modelled mechanistically, including parameters such as metabolic rate and oxygen uptake to facilitate a physiologically realistic model.

Through dynamic modelling techniques and by explicitly accounting for temperature as a driving factor, the model will be used to study and predict how cod populations may respond to climate change.