Dominique Roche
MSc Biology
Supervisors:
Brian Leung (McGill University)
Mark Torchin (STRI)
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Master's Research
Globalization of the world’s economies has substantially increased the rate of biological invasions, particularly in marine and estuarine ecosystems. In the Neotropics, Panama is a focal point for the study of human mediated species transfers due to intense shipping activity through the Panama Canal. During my degree, I conducted two projects in Panama, spanning both theoretical and practical aspects of biological invasions.
In the first project, I sought to better understand the factors that contribute to the demographic success of invasive species, focusing on the Enemy Release Hypothesis (ERH). The ERH posits that when species invade novel habitats, enemies, such as parasites, are lost and invaders benefit from increased growth and reproduction. Current evidence suggests that both plant and animal invaders often have fewer parasites in their introduced range. However, research on the ERH has largely focused on examining differences in parasite richness and few studies have directly compared parasite impact on native and introduced competitors. In this project, I evaluated enemy release across three levels: parasite richness, abundance, and impact, comparing confamilial species of cichlid fishes which compete for food and habitat in the Panama Canal. Further, I examined the conditions under which introduced species may gain a competitive advantage from escaping their enemies. |
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In a second project, I documented the discovery of an established population of the North American Harris mud crab, Rhithropanopeus harrisii, in the Panama Canal, highlighting how maritime traffic may further increase the spread of this invader worldwide. I evaluated the distribution, abundance, and demographics of R. harrisii across the Canal and assessed the crab’s potential for spread beyond its current distribution using salinity tolerance experiments. Building on this case study, I developed an analytical framework for evaluating the feasibility of eradicating R. harrisii in Panama. These guidelines were formulated to contend with three major challenges of rapid response efforts: limited information about novel invaders, limited time for management, and limited communication between scientists and decision-makers.
Aside from biological invasions, my interests are broad and span a range of disciplines in ecology, including behavior, conservation, and parasitology as long as they involve freshwater or marine organisms (preferably fish!). |
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| Education |
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MSc. Biology, Neotropical Environment Option, McGill University – Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (2006-2008)
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- Thesis title: Discovery, distribution, and eradication potential of the introduced mud crab, Rhithropanopeus harrisii, in the Panama Canal
- Thesis Supervisors: Dr. Brian Leung (McGill), Dr. Mark Torchin (STRI)
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B.Sc. Biology McGill University (2002-2006) |
- Thesis title: Time-dependent estimation of home range size in two serranid fishes on the West coast of Barbados
- Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Donald Kramer (McGill)
- Thesis title: Towards the creation of a marine protected area: evaluation of fishing practices in the village of Pedro González, Las Perlas Archipelago, Panama
- Thesis Supervisor: Dr. Hector Guzmán (STRI)
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| Publications |
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- Oestreicher JS, Benessaiah K, Ruiz-Jaen MC, Sloan S, Turner K, Pelletier J, Guay B, Clark KE, Roche DG, Meiners M, Potvin C (In press) Avoiding deforestation in Panamanian protected areas: An analysis of protection effectiveness and implications for reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation. Global Environmental Change
- Mendoza Franco EF, Violante-González J and Roche DG (In press) Interoceanic occurrence of Aristocleidus spp. Mueller, 1936 (Monogenoidea: Dactylogyridae) parasitizing the gills of gerreid fishes in the Neotropics. Parasitology Research
- Roche DG, Torchin ME, Leung B, and Binning SA (2009) Localized invasion of the North American Harris mud crab, Rhithropanopeus harrisii, in the Panama Canal: implications for eradication and spread. Biological Invasions 11: 983–993
- Mendoza Franco EF, Roche DG and Torchin ME (2008) New species of Diplectanum (Monogenoidea: Diplectanidae), and proposal of a new genus of the Dactylogyridae from the gills of gerreid fishes (Teleostei) from Mexico and Panama. Folia Parasitologica 55: 171-179
- Roche DG and Torchin ME (2007) Established population of the North American Harris mud crab, Rhithropanopeus harrisii (Gould 1841) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Xanthidae), in the Panama Canal. Aquatic Invasions 2(3): 155-161
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Publications in Preparation
- Roche DG, Leung B, Torchin ME, and Mendoza Franco EF (In prep) Higher parasitism in native compared to introduced cichlids: implications for competitive interactions. Intended for submission to Biology Letters
- Roche DG, Leung B and Torchin ME (In prep) A balancing act: uncertainty and timely decision-making in eradicating invasive species. Intended for submission to Conservation Biology
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Projects (Past and Present) |
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| Refuge use by coral reef fishes (starting January 2009) |
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- Location: Barbados, West-Indies
- Collaborators: Sandra Binning, Alexandre Ménard, Dr. Donald L. Kramer (McGill)
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Coral reef fish connectivity and Fish Barcode of Life Initiative (FISH-BOL) (2005-2008) |
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- Location: San Blas Archipelago, Panama; Isla Coiba, Panama, Islas de la Bahia, Honduras
- Principal Investigators: Oscar Puebla (STRI, McGill), Dr. Eldredge Bermingham (STRI), Dr. Dan Lindstrom (STRI, University of Hawaii)
- http://www.fishbol.org/
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| The AQUA Underwater Robot (2006) |
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| Density-dependent fish relocation in size-structured populations (2006) |
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- Location: Barbados, West Indies
- Principal Investigators: Katrine Turgeon, Dr. Donald Kramer (McGill)
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Time-dependent estimation of home range size in serranid fishes (2004-2006) |
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- Location: Barbados, West Indies
- Collaborators: Thomas Farrugia, Caroline Bissada, Dr. Henri Valles, Dr. Donald Kramer (McGill), Dr. James Grant (Concordia)
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- McGill University Alma Mater Student Travel Grant, $750 (February 2008)
- Neotropical Environment Option (NEO) Grant in Aid of Research, McGill University and Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, $10 000 (2007-2008)
- Fonds Québécois de la Recherche sur la Nature et les Technologies (FQRNT) - Bourse de maîtrise en recherche, $15 000 (2007-2008);
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) Short-Term Fellowship, $2 000 (2007)
- Office Québec Amérique pour la Jeunesse (OQAJ) Travel Scholarship, $1 400 (2007)
- McGill University Philip Carpenter Biology Scholarship, $2 000 (2005-2006)
- National Sciences and Engineering Research Council Canadian Graduate Scholarship (NSERC CGS), $17 500; McGill University Scholarship Top-up Award ($2 000) (2006-2007)
- McGill University Fantham Memorial Prize in Biology, $900 (2006)
- McGill University Logan Scholarship, $1 000 (2005-2006)
- McGill University James McGill Entrance Scholarship, $2000 (2002; 2003; 2004; 2005)
- McGill Faculty of Science Dean’s Honor List (2003-2004, 2005-2006)
- McGill University Principal’s Student-Athlete Academic Honor Roll (2004-2006)
- Universitas 21 Travel Award, $1 250 (Declined)
- National Sciences and Engineering Research Council Undergraduate Science Research Award (NSERC- USRA), $5 400 (May-August 2004)
- McGill University McConnell Award Scholarship, $1 000 (2003-2004)
- Université de Montréal Entrance Scholarship, $2 000 (Declined)
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Teaching
Student Supervising
- Yulang Kam, STRI fellowship; “Persistence of an introduced Iraki crab, Elamenopsis kempi, in the Panama Canal” 2006-2009
Teaching assistantships
- Biology 112, Cell and Molecular Biology (Laboratory), winter 2009
- Biology 373, Biometry, fall 2008
- Environment 451, Research in Panama (Field course), winter 2007
- Biology 111, Organismal biology (Laboratory), fall 2006
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Other Interests and Personal Information
- Fluent in English, French, and Spanish
- Qualified PADI Divemaster (over 200 research dives)
- Avid skier (cross-country, telemark) and snowboarder
- Competitive ultimate frisbee (since 2002)
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Links
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<---- Download my CV |
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| Last update: Apr. 9, 2009 |
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