I’m an undergraduate researcher working at the Molecular Ecology and Conservation Lab with Dr. Lisa Komoroske. I dedicated this summer to researching Golden Dorado (Salminus brasiliensis), a large, freshwater fish that populates the river basins of South America. I had the opportunity to interact with our lab collaborators in Bolivia and Argentina as well as further my knowledge of this part of the world. I studied genetic variation in the Golden Dorado population by running DNA Extractions, PCR’s, Gel Electrophoresis, and COI gene sequencing. I am still working on this project, and am excited to see where it goes. Studying genetic variation in this fish plays a crucial part in implementing successful conservation methods, as well as studying evolution as a whole. There is so much that is unkown regarding the Neotropical region in terms of biodiversity and speciation, and it is exciting to add to the constantly-expanding database of evolutionary history.
