Genomics and telemetry suggest a role for migration harshness in determining overwintering habitat choice, but not gene flow, in anadromous Arctic Char

Type Article
Date 2017-12
Language English
Author(s) Moore Jean-Sebastien1, Harris Les N.2, Le Luyer JeremyORCID1, 3, Sutherland Ben J. G.1, 4, Rougemont Quentin1, Tallman Ross F.2, Fisk Aaron T.5, Bernatchez Louis1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Laval, IBIS, Quebec City, PQ, Canada.
2 : Fisheries & Oceans Canada, Freshwater Inst, Winnipeg, MB, Canada.
3 : Inst Francais Rech Exploitat Mer, Tahiti, French Polynesi, France.
4 : Fisheries & Oceans Canada, Pacific Biol Stn, Nanaimo, BC, Canada.
5 : Univ Windsor, Great Lakes Inst Environm Res, Windsor, ON, Canada.
Source Molecular Ecology (0962-1083) (Wiley), 2017-12 , Vol. 26 , N. 24 , P. 6784-6800
DOI 10.1111/mec.14393
WOS© Times Cited 50
Keyword(s) Arctic, conservation, fish migration, fishery management, genotyping by sequencing, population genomics, RADseq
Abstract

Migration is a ubiquitous life history trait with profound evolutionary and ecological consequences. Recent developments in telemetry and genomics, when combined, can bring significant insights on the migratory ecology of non-model organisms in the wild. Here, we used this integrative approach to document dispersal, gene flow and potential for local adaptation in anadromous Arctic Char from six rivers in the Canadian Arctic. Acoustic telemetry data from 124 tracked individuals indicated asymmetric dispersal, with a large proportion of fish (72%) tagged in three different rivers migrating up the same short river in the fall. Population genomics data from 6,136 SNP markers revealed weak, albeit significant, population differentiation (average pairwise FST = 0.011) and asymmetric dispersal was also revealed by population assignments. Approximate Bayesian Computation simulations suggested the presence of asymmetric gene flow, although in the opposite direction to that observed from the telemetry data, suggesting that dispersal does not necessarily lead to gene flow. These observations suggested that Arctic Char home to their natal river to spawn, but may overwinter in rivers with the shortest migratory route to minimize the costs of migration in non-breeding years. Genome scans and genetic-environment associations identified 90 outlier markers putatively under selection, 23 of which were in or near a gene. Of these, at least four were involved in muscle and cardiac function, consistent with the hypothesis that migratory harshness could drive local adaptation. Our study illustrates the power of integrating genomics and telemetry to study migrations in non-model organisms in logistically challenging environments such as the Arctic.

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Moore Jean-Sebastien, Harris Les N., Le Luyer Jeremy, Sutherland Ben J. G., Rougemont Quentin, Tallman Ross F., Fisk Aaron T., Bernatchez Louis (2017). Genomics and telemetry suggest a role for migration harshness in determining overwintering habitat choice, but not gene flow, in anadromous Arctic Char. Molecular Ecology, 26(24), 6784-6800. Publisher's official version : https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14393 , Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00409/52049/