Genetic population structure of the round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum) in North America: multiple markers reveal glacial refugia and regional subdivision

Round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum) have a broad, disjunct range across northern North America and Eurasia, and little is known about their genetic population structure. We performed genetic analyses of round whitefish from 17 sites across its range using nine microsatellites, two mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) loci, and 4918 to 8835 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci. Our analyses identified deep phylogenetic division between eastern and western portions of the range, likely indicative of origins from at least two separate Pleistocene glacial refugia. Regionally, microsatellites and SNPs identified congruent patterns in subdivision, and population structure was consistent with expectations based on hydrologic connectivity. Within the Laurentian Great Lakes, Lake Huron and Lake Ontario were identified as key areas of interest. Lake Huron appears to be a contemporary source population for several other Great Lakes, and Lake Ontario contains a genetically discrete group of round whitefish. In all cases, multiple genetic markers yielded similar patterns, but SNPs offered substantially enhanced resolution. We conclude that round whitefish have population subdivision on several scales important for understanding their evolutionary history and conservation planning.

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Genetic population structure of fishers (Pekania pennanti) in the Great Lakes region: remnants and reintroductions

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/cjz-2016-0325 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 95 (11) ◽

pp. 869-876 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Paul Hapeman ◽

Emily K. Latch ◽

Olin E. Rhodes ◽

Brad Swanson ◽

C. William Kilpatrick

Keyword(s):

Population Structure ◽

Genetic Structure ◽

Great Lakes ◽

Large Scale ◽

Spatial Scales ◽

Genetic Population Structure ◽

Great Lakes Region ◽

Eastern United States ◽

Genetic Population ◽

Pekania Pennanti

Reintroduction programs have been pivotal in augmenting populations of fishers (Pekania pennanti (Erxleben, 1777)) and re-establishing them to their former range in North America. The majority of reintroduction efforts in fishers have been considered demographically successful, but reintroductions can alter genetic population structure and success has rarely been evaluated in fishers from a genetic standpoint. We used microsatellite data (n = 169) to examine genetic population structure of fishers in the Great Lakes region and comment on the success of past reintroductions at two different spatial scales. We found significant genetic population structure among source and reintroduced populations within the Great Lakes region and large-scale genetic structure between fisher populations located in two geographically distant regions (Great Lakes and Northeast) in the eastern United States. Reintroductions associated with the Great Lakes produced results that were largely consistent with other studies of fisher reintroductions in the Northeast. However, our data are the first to support a measurable impact on genetic population structure in Pekania pennanti pennanti (Erxleben, 1777) from a reintroduction using geographically distant source and reintroduced populations. When feasible, we strongly recommend that reintroduction programs include an investigation of the underlying genetic structure to better define intended goals and supplement measures of demographic success.

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Genetic Population Structure of Remnant Lake Sturgeon Populations in the Upper Great Lakes Basin

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society ◽

10.1577/t05-213.1 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 135 (6) ◽

pp. 1478-1492 ◽

Cited By ~ 52

Author(s):

Patrick W. DeHaan ◽

Scot V. Libants ◽

Robert F. Elliott ◽

Kim T. Scribner

Keyword(s):

Population Structure ◽

Great Lakes ◽

Lake Sturgeon ◽

Genetic Population Structure ◽

Great Lakes Basin ◽

Genetic Population ◽

Upper Great Lakes

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Genetic Population Structure of Muskellunge in the Great Lakes

Transactions of the American Fisheries Society ◽

10.1080/00028487.2013.799515 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 142 (4) ◽

pp. 1075-1089 ◽

Cited By ~ 19

Author(s):

Kevin L. Kapuscinski ◽

Brian L. Sloss ◽

John M. Farrell

Keyword(s):

Population Structure ◽

Great Lakes ◽

Genetic Population Structure ◽

Genetic Population

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ddRAD genotyping reveals hierarchical genetic population structure in anadromous Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in the Lower Northwest Passage, Nunavut

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/cjfas-2020-0069 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Peiwen Li ◽

Peter van Coeverden de Groot ◽

Rute Clemente-Carvalho ◽

Stephen C. Lougheed

Keyword(s):

Population Structure ◽

Salvelinus Alpinus ◽

Bone Development ◽

Arctic Char ◽

Genetic Population Structure ◽

Population Subdivision ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Genetic Population ◽

Northwest Passage ◽

Isolation With Migration

Contemporary intraspecific patterns of genetic variation reflect the historical effects of population subdivision/expansion and forces like drift, gene flow and selection. We investigated the population structure of anadromous Arctic char in the Lower Northwest Passage (LNWP), Nunavut, using 3,074 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms markers (SNPs). Overall, the genetic differentiation was weak to moderate among 18 sampling locales (global FST=0.037). Populations were structured hierarchically, with a deeper genetic division between King William Island (global FST=0.018) and mainland populations ~ 200 km away to the south (global FST=0.018), and some evidence of genetic subgroups within the former. These findings suggest a role for char migratory behaviour in shaping contemporary genetic population structure, with demographic modelling favouring an isolation with migration over a strict isolation scenario. Twenty-two SNPs were identified as potentially under divergent selection with putative functions including neurotransmission and bone development and growth during late embryogenesis. Our study is the first survey of Arctic char in the LNWP using genomics, and provides baseline data for the development of a sustainable fishery within this region.

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