F ∙ L ∙ E ∙ D ∙ G ∙ E
Freshwater Fishes ∙ Lampreys ∙ Evolution ∙ Diversity ∙ Genetics ∙ Environmental DNA
Fledge = “to rear until ready for flight or independent activity”
What We Do
We use genetic technologies to answer questions related to the conservation, management, and evolution of freshwater fishes while helping
train the next generation of fisheries and aquatic scientists for their careers in academia, government, industry, and NGOs.
Click here to learn more about our research.
Recent News
Lampreys in the News: Documentary Portrait of Cameron Brown
New Paper from the Docker Lab helps make a great leap forward in solving the long-standing mystery of sex determination in lampreys: Yasmin, T., P. Grayson, M.F. Docker, and S.V. Good. 2022. Pervasive male-biased expression throughout the germline-specific regions of the sea lamprey genome supports key roles in sex differentiation and spermatogenesis. Communications Biology 5: 434.
Coming Up
Upcoming Conference Presentations
June
- Brown, C.D., R. Hanner, B. Philipps, M. Steeves, L. Sumner, and M.F. Docker* (2024) Environmental DNA surveillance of a legacy invader: using eDNA for sea lamprey larval assessment. International Congress on the Biology of Fish (ICBF), Ann Arbor, Michigan.
- Docker, M.F., C.J. Garroway, P.D. Grayson, S.V. Good, A.E. Wright, and T. Yasmin (2024) Sex determination in an ancient fish: The sea lamprey story. International Congress on the Biology of Fish (ICBF), Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Meet Dr. Margaret Docker!
Dr. Docker is a Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Her research interests include conservation genetics of fishes (particularly lampreys and underappreciated freshwater fishes in Manitoba), the genetic basis of parallel phenotypic evolution (particularly the evolution of non-parasitism in lampreys), sex determination and sex differentiation in lampreys, and the use environmental DNA (eDNA) for monitoring of aquatic organisms. She teaches BIOL 2210 The Chordates and BIOL 4212 Systematics and Biogeography of Fishes.
In addition to teaching and research, Margaret serves as the co-chair of the Freshwater Fishes Subcommittee of the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC), on the Great Lakes Fishery Commission Sea Lamprey Research Board, and as the Editor-in-Chief of the journal Environmental Biology of Fishes. She is a part of the GEN-FISH (Genomic Network for Fish Identification, Stress and Health) team of researchers, professionals, and community members who are working to develop and validate genetic tools to cost-effectively assess the location, abundance, and health of Canada’s freshwater fishes, and FishCAST, an NSERC CREATE program committed to training the next generation of fisheries and aquatic science leaders.
Land Acknowledgement
The Docker Lab resides on Treaty 1 territory which encompasses the original lands of the Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene Peoples, and on the homeland of the Métis Nation. We are grateful for the opportunities to sample water on Treaties 1, 2, 3, and 8. We respect the lands on which we walk and are committed to environmental stewardship and reciprocity.