Genetic Basis for Thermal Tolerance in Two Different Strains of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): Case Western and Kamloops

Abstract

First and foremost I would like to express my biggest gratitude to Dr. Kyle Hartman, who has provided me with all the resources to successfully complete my thesis and has always given me all of his support throughout the process. I would also like to thank the other members of the Graduate Committee, Dr. Patricia Mazik, Dr. Amy Welsh, and Dr. Jianbo Yao, whose knowledge and guidance made the process a lot easier for me to complete. Furthermore, I would like to thank Dr. Hao Ma for all of his help in completing this thesis, Dr. Kimberly M. Barnes for letting me use her laboratory to run the cortisol plate's reading, John Howell and Meghan Manor for the help during the sampling processes. Additionally, I would like to thank the Rotary Foundation, which provided me with the financial support to attend West Virginia University during the first year of my Masters. I would also like to thank my family whose support pushed me to complete this project and persist even when things were very difficult and challenging. And last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank my future husband Juan, whose support, both emotional and academic, aided me in completing this degree successfully.