Biology subjects

April, J.

Publications and source records attributed to April, J..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Captive rearing effects on the methylome of Atlantic salmon after oceanic migration: sex-specificity and intergenerational stability

Captive rearing in salmon hatcheries can have considerable impacts on both fish phenotype and fitness within a single generation, even in the absence of genetic change. Evidence for hatchery-induced changes in DNA methylation is becoming abundant, though questions remain on the sex-specificity of these effects, their persistence until spawning, and potential for transmission to future generations. Here we performed whole genome methylation sequencing of fin tissue for 16 hatchery and 16 wild Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) returning to spawn in the Rimouski River, Quebec. We identified two cohorts of hatchery-reared salmon through methylation analysis, one of which was epigenetically similar to wild fish, suggesting that supplementation efforts may be able to minimize the epigenetic effects of hatchery rearing. We found considerable sex-specific effects of hatchery rearing, with few genomic regions being affected in both males and females. We also analysed the methylome of 32 F1 offspring from four groups (pure wild, pure hatchery origin, and reciprocal hybrids). We found that few epigenetic changes due to parental hatchery rearing persisted in the F1 offspring though the patterns of inheritance appear to be complex, involving nonadditive effects. Our results suggest that the epigenetic effects of hatchery rearing can be minimal in F0. There may also be minimal epigenetic inheritance and rapid loss of epigenetic changes associated with hatchery rearing. However, due to sex-specificity and nonadditive patterns of inheritance, methylation changes due to captive rearing are rather complex and the field would benefit from further research on minimizing the epigenetic effects of captive rearing in conservation efforts.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2022

Parallel genomic basis of age at maturity across spatial scales in Atlantic Salmon

Complex traits often exhibit complex underlying genetic architectures resulting from a combination of evolution from standing variation, hard and soft sweeps, and alleles of varying effect size. Increasingly, studies implicate both large-effect loci and polygenic patterns underpinning adaptation, but the extent that common genetic architectures are utilized during repeated adaptation is not well understood. Sea age or age at maturation represents a significant life history trait in Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar), the genetic basis of which has been studied extensively in European Atlantic populations, with repeated identification of large-effect loci. However, the genetic basis of sea age within North American Atlantic Salmon populations remains unclear, as does the potential for a parallel trans-Atlantic genomic basis to sea age. Here, we used a large SNP array and low coverage whole genome re-sequencing to explore the genomic basis of sea age variation in North American Atlantic Salmon. We found significant associations at the gene and SNP level with large-effect loci (vgll3, six6) previously identified in European populations, indicating genetic parallelism, but found that this pattern varied based on both sex and geographic region. We also identified largely non-repeated sweep signatures and sets of highly predictive loci associated with sea age among populations and sexes within North America, indicating polygenicity and low rates of repeated genomic parallelism. Despite low genome-wide parallelism, we uncovered a set of conserved molecular pathways associated with sea age that were consistently enriched among comparisons. Together, our results indicate parallelism of the molecular basis of sea age in North American Atlantic Salmon across large-effect genes and molecular pathways despite population-specific patterns of polygenicity. These findings reveal roles for both contingency and repeated adaptation at the molecular level in the evolution of life history variation.

evolutionary biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Captive-breeding and catch-and-release's effects on the reproductive success of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)

Captive-breeding programs as well as and catch-and-release are among the most commonly adopted conservation practices in recreational fisheries. However, risks and benefits associated with their implementation are rarely evaluated. In the case of Atlantic Salmon, while previous studies revealed that captive-bred fish show reduced fitness compared to their wild counterparts in nature. Yet, few examined the extent and causes of their reduced reproductive success or directly compared their contribution to enhance genetic diversity to that of wild fish, including mature male parr. Furthermore, only one study specifically measured the reproductive success of caught and released Atlantic salmon in natural settings, and no study to date evaluated if released salmon are able to reproduce when released at temperature above 20{degrees}C which is known to increase post-release mortality. Here, we use high-throughput microsatellite sequencing of 38 loci to accurately assign 2500 offspring to a comprehensive set of possible parents from a supplemented Atlantic salmon population in Quebec, Canada. The resolved molecular pedigree provided informative insight on the reproductive pattern of both captive-bred salmon and caught-and-released salmon. Captive-bred salmon had fewer partners than their wild conspecifics which lead to a significant reduction of reproductive success relative to that of their wild counterparts. Supplementation of captive-bred salmon significantly contributed to increase genetic diversity but mature male parr did so to an even greater extent and significantly inflated the number of alleles found among offspring. Moreover, our results showed that that at least 83% of caught-and-released salmon did successfully reproduced although caught-and-released female salmon have a significantly reduced reproductive success, averaging 73% of the reproductive output of non-caught salmon. Reproductive success of released salmon was not influenced by water temperature over 20{degrees}C which suggests either that the studied population is locally adapted to warm waters or that they behaviorally regulated body temperature by accessing nearby thermal refugia. Our results should help refining managers ability to analyze the risks and benefits associated with captive-breeding and catch-and-release, and thus, optimize conservation practices used for the preservation of Atlantic salmon populations.

evolutionary biology↗