Université Laval Professor Wins Top Canadian Research Award

Considered one of the best molecular biologists in his field

Ottawa, Ontario, March 5, 2002 – Louis Bernatchez is following in Charles Darwin's footsteps. Just as the celebrated naturalist sought to discover the secrets of evolution by observing the birds of the Galapagos Islands, this associate professor from Université Laval is seeking a better understanding of the processes of adaptation and evolution by studying freshwater fish, more precisely whitefish.

It's cutting-edge research that he's been carrying out since 1990, and though still in the early stages of his career, he's already considered to be one of the best molecular ecologists in his field. His work has just earned him a 2002 Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) Steacie Fellowship – one of Canada's premier science and engineering prizes.

The award is one of six announced today by Maurizio Bevilacqua, the Secretary of State for Science, Research and Development, on behalf of Allan Rock, Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for NSERC, and by Dr. Tom Brzustowski, President of NSERC.

"These winners will help Canada become one of the top five countries in the world for research and development – attracting and retaining the best and brightest minds," said Minister Rock. "This is an important part of making Canada more innovative and competitive in the global economy."

"NSERC Steacie Fellowships are awarded to Canada's most outstanding researchers," said Secretary of State Bevilacqua. "The winners continue to make a mark for themselves and for Canada on the international research scene. The NSERC Steacie will give them the opportunity and resources to develop their ideas to a new level of excellence."

Dr. Bernatchez uses molecular genetics, combined with ecology, in his study of the process of speciation. Not only are the fish genomes shedding light on important evolutionary questions, but this research has also made an important contribution to biodiversity conservation. "For me," he says, "both aspects are critical; I wouldn't be able to do my work without this bridge between understanding and bioconservation."

In partnership with the approximately twenty members of his multidisciplinary research team, Dr. Bernatchez is attempting to show how different populations that originally belonged to the same species evolve into new species through interactions with their environment. In the first phase of his research, Dr. Bernatchez retraced the genetic history of all modern whitefish populations, which the last ice age had separated geographically. DNA analyses allowed the genetic drift between each group to be measured. At a finer level, Bernatchez and his team then focused on a few lakes where some of these populations have once again come in contact but don't actually occupy the same ecological niche. (One population may feed on benthic fauna, for example, while another feeds on plankton in the water column.) Although nothing in theory prevents it, the two populations do not interbreed. The study, which has both ecological and genetic facets, then establishes the links between their specialized niches and the genome specific to each of the groups.

"The third phase of our research," explains Dr. Bernatchez, "involves functional genomics, which allows us to simultaneously quantify the degree of expression of several thousand genes and establish the genetic bases of these adaptive differences. Unraveling the genetic basis of adaptation represents one of the final frontiers in the study of the evolution of new species." In practice, the task involves specifying and describing the influence of the chromosonal regions that affect the "phenotypic" traits of a population. This form of genetic cartography is still in its infancy in the field of evolutionary biology. It doesn't yet allow researchers to say which genes are specifically involved. The NSERC Steacie Fellowship will enable professor Bernatchez to develop the resources and expertise needed to take this next step.

Besides filling in a few more pieces of the great evolutionary puzzle, these studies and other related projects have found various applications within conservation programs. Fisheries managers are now better able to safeguard the genetic integrity of a unique population by choosing the most appropriate protection or restocking strategies. These studies will also allow the industry to optimize practices for the management of natural populations. "This is one way to make a contribution both to science and to the protection of the environment," stresses Dr. Bernatchez.

Dr. Louis Bernatchez holds the Canada Research Chair in Genetic Management of Freshwater Species at Université Laval.

Contacts:

Dr. Louis Bernatchez, (418) 656-2131, ext. 3402, louis.bernatchez@bio.ulaval.ca.

Arnet Sheppard, NSERC, (613) 995-5997, axs@nserc.ca.

The Prize

NSERC Steacie Fellowships are awarded to the most outstanding Canadian university scientists or engineers who have earned their doctorate within the last twelve years. Nominations are received by NSERC from universities across Canada and judged by a distinguished panel of independent experts. The award includes a payment to Université Laval towards Dr. Bernatchez' salary, and increased research funding from NSERC, freeing him to pursue his research full-time. In addition, for the first time this year, the winning Steacie Fellows have been invited to compete for a special Canada Foundation for Innovation Career Award. The announcement of these awards will be made later.

The five other award winners this year are:

Canada's Innovation Strategy

On February 12, 2002, the Government of Canada launched Canada's Innovation Strategy, two papers that lay out a plan to address skills and innovation challenges for the next decade. The paper released by Minister Rock was entitled Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity. It proposes goals, targets and priorities for Canada over the next decade to: create knowledge and bring ideas to market more quickly; ensure a skilled workforce in the new economy; modernize business and regulatory policies while protecting the public interest; and, strengthen communities by supporting innovation at the local level. Today's announcement supports this strategy.

For more information about Canada's Innovation Strategy or to obtain a copy of either Knowledge Matters: Skills and Learning for Canadians or Achieving Excellence: Investing in People, Knowledge and Opportunity, please call 1-800-CANADA (1-800-622-6232) or visit www.innovationstrategy.gc.ca.