Phenotypic Variation in the Lake Whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis, Induced by Introduction into a New Environment

1974 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. S. Loch
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Meristic Characters ◽  
Line Scale ◽  
Benthic Food ◽  
Glycerol 3 Phosphate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Gill Raker ◽  
Electrophoretic Phenotype

Adult lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) from Clearwater Lake and second generation adults of offspring from Clearwater whitefish transplanted to Lyons Lake were compared with respect to morphometric and meristic characters and isozymes of L-glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPDH). Feeding habits and abundance of pelagic and benthic foods were compared in the two lakes.Gill raker number, lateral line scale count, and interorbital width remained constant between parental and offspring populations. Gill raker length was the main character found to differ between the populations. This was found to be related to the percentage and type of benthic food eaten. Abrasion of the gill rakers is offered as an explanation for the differences in gill raker length. Differences were found in various other meristic and morphological characters, as well as in electrophoretic phenotype frequencies of isozymes of GPDH.

Stocks are Chameleons: Plasticity in Gill Rakers of Coregonid Fishes

1981 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1497-1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. C. Lindsey
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Northern Hemisphere ◽  
Phenotypic Variation ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Gill Rakers ◽  
Gill Raker ◽  
Coregonid Fishes

The characters that apparently render a stock of fish distinctive may in reality be a reflection of the presence or absence of other fish species with which the stock shares its environment. Over the northern hemisphere, the whitefish genera Coregonus, "Leucichthys," and Prosopium offer striking examples of morphological characters being displaced because of coinhabiting species. Whenever one of the groups is missing, another tends to shift its gill rakers so as to fill in the vacant part of the spectrum in gill-raker counts. Plankton-feeding lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) having many long gill rakers exist in several lakes sympatrically with bottom-feeding lake whitefish having fewer and shorter gill rakers, but only if the even more specialized plankton-feeding species of ciscoes are absent. Lake whitefish in Yukon Territory have on the average fewer rakers in those lakes that contain ciscoes than in those that do not. Artificial transplants demonstrate that gill-raker characteristics can change quickly in a new environment. Gill-raker count is less subject to phenotypically induced variation from environmental influences than are most morphological characters, but it is not immune. Partial hybridization, where bimodal populations are maintained by a balance between gene flow and selection, also poses special problems for the stock concept. When employing even relatively stable characters such as gill-raker counts, one should beware that the "stocks" may be chameleons which shift their appearance in response to the biological color of their surroundings.Key words: coregonids, whitefish, gill rakers, phenotypic variation, hybridization, selection, transplants, stocks

Subpopulation Status of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Lake Winnipeg

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (8) ◽  
pp. 1484-1494 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Kristofferson ◽  
J. W. Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Lactate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Genetic Contribution ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Morphometric Measurements ◽  
Lake Winnipeg ◽  
Meristic Counts ◽  
Grand Rapids ◽  
Parent Stock ◽  
Glycerol 3 Phosphate Dehydrogenase

Spawning lake whitefish in Lake Winnipeg from Dauphin River–Lake St. Martin, Traverse Bay, Berens River–Poplar River–Big Black River and Grand Rapids and in Little Playgreen Lake are accorded subpopulation status based on morphometric measurements, meristic counts, and differences in frequencies of alleles at the muscle glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (g-3-pdh-b) locus. The frequency of the g-3-pdh-b-3 allele in samples from Dauphin River–Lake St. Martin was 0.77 compared with 0.46 for whitefish from the remainder of Lake Winnipeg and Little Playgreen Lake. Two loci for isocitrate dehydrogenase and one lactate dehydrogenase locus are also polymorphic in these fish but no significant allele frequency differences were found at these loci among the samples of spawners compared above. Hatchery-reared lake whitefish, obtained from stock in Clearwater Lake and William Lake and planted as fry or eyed eggs in Lake Winnipeg at Dauphin River and Grand Rapids, do not appear to have made a detectable genetic contribution to the local whitefish stocks, based on differences in g-3-pdh-b and idh Bβ allele frequencies among parent stock and spawners captured near the release sites.

A Biochemical Genetic Study of Zoogeography of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in Western Canada

1977 ◽  
Vol 34 (5) ◽  
pp. 617-625 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. G. Franzin ◽  
J. W. Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Early Stage ◽  
River System ◽  
Glacial Refugia ◽  
Biochemical Data ◽  
Western Canada ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Yukon River ◽  
Central Canada ◽  
Glycerol 3 Phosphate Dehydrogenase

Frequencies of alleles of the genes governing electrophoretic phenotypes of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) muscle glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-3-PDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) enzymes, the genetics of which were determined previously, proved useful tools for characterizing populations. Malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and hemoglobin electrophoretic phenotypes, the genetics of which have not been determined, proved useful only for discerning differences among large groups of populations. Using all these characters we determined postglacial routes of gene flow among western Canadian lake whitefish populations and related the biochemical data to the glacial refugia in which lake whitefish are believed to have survived the Wisconsin glaciation. Apparently most lake whitefish populations west of the Ontario–Manitoba boundary and east of the Rocky Mountains were derived from a Mississippi refugium stock with some input from the Bering refugium. At an early stage in the mixing of the two stocks, headwaters of the Peace, Athabasca, and Mackenzie rivers and the Fraser River system were invaded. Subsequently, these areas were cut off from mainstem rivers of the plains, and a G-3-PDH allele not found in early emigrants from the Mississippi refugium appeared and spread throughout the major river systems of central Canada. No evidence was found that any Mississippi stock lake whitefish were able to invade the upper Liard River and Yukon River system including the area of the Bering refugium. Bering stock lake whitefish probably emigrated from that refugium by way of headwater transfer from the Yukon River to the Liard River and possibly, by way of the Porcupine and Peel rivers, from the Yukon River to the lower Mackenzie River. Routes of postglacial dispersal suggested by geological information, rather than selection, appear to provide adequate explanations for the distributions of the biochemical characters in present day lake whitefish populations. This explanation of the biochemical data is also in accord with the distribution of modal gillraker counts in lake whitefish populations and also with the distribution of other freshwater fishes in western Canada. Key words: fish, lake whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis, salmonidae, zoogeography, dehydrogenase, postglacial, biochemical genetics

Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) Stocks of the Ontario Waters of Lake Huron

1981 ◽  
Vol 38 (12) ◽  
pp. 1772-1789 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Casselman ◽  
J. J. Collins ◽  
E. J. Grossman ◽  
P. E. Ihssen ◽  
G. R. Spangler
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Genetic Distances ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Starch Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Meristic Characters ◽  
Hardy Weinberg Equilibrium ◽  
Starch Gel ◽  
South Shore

Historical and contemporary data on lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) from the Ontario waters of Lake Huron were examined for evidence of stocks with the objective of defining population boundaries. We delineated the spatial distribution of five stocks from tag–recapture data and the general location of six additional stocks on the basis of population parameters such as growth rate, age structure, and abundance trends.Samples of fish collected (summer and fall) from 5 of the 11 potential stocks were evaluated on the basis of 11 morphometric and 7 meristic characters. We also examined osseometric features such as shape of scales and otoliths, and electrophoretic characteristics at 32 loci associated with 12 enzyme systems.The summer and fall samples for each group were generally not significantly different. For the phenotypes examined electrophoretically, each stock was in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium; 12 of the 32 loci considered were polymorphic and 4 of the 10 possible genetic distances differed significantly from zero.The Inner Basin stock was distinctly different from all other stocks. The Blind River stock was also found to be different by osseometrics, but not by morphometrics or electrophoresis. Osseometrics separated the stocks by basin of origin. Two stocks, Outer Basin and Burnt Island, appeared to be the most similar and could be separated from each other only on the basis of growth rate and tagging data. These two stocks are adjacent to each other in the main basin of Lake Huron, along the south shore of Manitoulin Island.Whitefish stocks of Lake Huron represent groups of fish that differ phenotypically and genotypically in varying degrees, are spatially separated, and behave as cohesive units. We conclude that they should be regarded as functional units for management purposes.Key words: lake whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis, Lake Huron, stocks, tag–recapture data, population structure, morphometrics, meristics, osseometrics, scale and otolith shape, starch gel electrophoresis, biochemical genetic variation

Collapse of the Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) Fishery in Southern Indian Lake, Manitoba, following Lake Impoundment and River Diversion

1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-700 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Bodaly ◽  
T. W. D. Johnson ◽  
R. J. P. Fudge ◽  
J. W. Clayton
Keyword(s):  
Market Quality ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
River Diversion ◽  
Fish Catch ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Glycerol 3 Phosphate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Physical Changes ◽  
Traditional Fishing

The lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) fishery of Southern Indian Lake (SIL) has undergone a general collapse since lake impoundment and Churchill River diversion in 1976. The fishery was substantial from its inception in 1941, with a mean annual whitefish catch of 333 500 kg over the 3 decades prior to lake impoundment. The whitefish catch prior to impoundment was composed almost exclusively (> 99%) of light colored, export (A) quality fish that were only lightly parasitized with the muscle cysts of Triaenophorus crassus. The market quality of the catch was maintained by selective fishing of certain lake basins and avoiding areas of the lake that were known to produce lower quality fish. Catch per unit of effort on traditional fishing grounds declined soon after impoundment to about one-half preflooding levels. Total catches were maintained at or near preimpoundment levels by major increases in total effort until 1982, when the whitefish catch fell to about one third of its preimpoundment mean. Fishermen also responded to declines in catch per unit of effort on traditional fishing grounds with a major geographic shift of effort into areas formerly avoided. As a result, darker colored, continental (B) quality whitefish comprised from 12 to 72% of the summer catch in the 4 yr following impoundment. Dark whitefish are less marketable because of color and because of higher rates of Triaenophorus infestation. The mean Triaenophorus cyst count in shipments has increased markedly since impoundment and the lake was reclassified from export (A) to continental (B) classification in 1982. Catch declines on traditional fishing grounds apparently reflect the emigration of fish to other SIL basins and/or to adjoining water bodies. Prior to lake impoundment, there were significant differences in glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase allele frequencies from whitefish samples taken from four basins of SIL and an adjacent unconnected lake, but these differences were absent after impoundment. It is hypothesized that these stock redistributions were triggered by physical changes in SIL after lake impoundment.

Genetics of Glycerol-3-phosphate Dehydrogenase Isozymes in White Muscle of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)

1973 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-193 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. W. Clayton ◽  
W. G. Franzin ◽  
D. N. Tretiak
Keyword(s):  
White Muscle ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Heat Inactivation ◽  
Starch Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Red Muscle ◽  
Catalytically Active ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
Glycerol 3 Phosphate Dehydrogenase

Multiple isozymes of glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (L-gIycerol-3-phosphate: NAD oxidoreductase, E. C. 1.1.1.8) have been resolved by starch gel electrophoresis of extracts of muscle tissue from lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis). The isozyme electropherograms show that three kinds of subunit, A, B, and C, are synthesized in red muscle and two of these, A and B, are also found in white muscle. In red muscle the subunits evidently combine to form catalytically active dimers of the following types: AA, AB, BB, BC, and CC. In white muscle only the AA, AB, and BB dimers were observed.A genetic and molecular structure model is proposed for the glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-3-PDH) isozymes in white muscle of lake whitefish. On the basis of two alleles for A subunits and three alleles for B subunits, the model predicts a total of 18 distinct, electrophoretic G-3-PDH phenotypes for all possible AA, AB, and BB dimeric isozymes. The model has been confirmed by the results of a breeding experiment that tested the heritability of each of the five known alleles. A difference in the rate of heat inactivation of AA and BB isozymes was also interpreted as additional evidence for the unique genetic and molecular nature of the two kinds of subunits.Surveys of natural populations of lake whitefish revealed some marked variations in the frequencies of G-3-PDH alleles in fish from different geographical areas.The cisco (Coregonus artedii) also appears to have three "b" alleles for G-3-PDH.

Sympatric Occurrence of Two Species of Humpback Whitefish in Squanga Lake, Yukon Territory

1963 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 749-767 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. C. Lindsey
Keyword(s):  
Gonad Development ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
The Other ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Early Winter ◽  
High Count ◽  
Morphometric Characters ◽  
Yukon River ◽  
Gill Raker

Squanga Lake in the Canadian headwaters of the Yukon River contains two species of humpback whitefish, characterized by modal first arch gill raker counts of 23 and 28 but with overlap in the range of counts. The species can be separated more sharply by raker counts of the second arch, also with modes of 23 and 28. Seven other morphometric characters not correlated with gill raker count each have significantly different means, but some overlap, between the species.In June the species with high raker count mainly occupies the pelagic zone, while the low count species occupies the bottom layers at all depths. The high count species feeds mainly on plankton, the low count species on bottom organisms. The high count species spawns in inlet and outlet streams in November and December. Gonad development in June suggests that the low count form spawns later, in localities unknown. Samples from early winter spawning runs contained exclusively high count individuals. A few fish, probably hybrids, had raker count corresponding to one species and most other morphological characters corresponding to the other. Tentative names for the species are Coregonus clupeaformis (high gill raker count) and Coregonus pidschian.

scholarly journals Assessing feeding competition between lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis and round whitefish Prosopium cylindraceum

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Macpherson ◽  
John A. Holmes ◽  
Andrew M. Muir ◽  
David L. G. Noakes
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Prey Selection ◽  
Lake Huron ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Bythotrephes Longimanus ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Nuclear Power Development ◽  
Different Seasons ◽  
Benthic Food ◽  
Main Basin

Abstract We collected lake whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis and round whitefish Prosopium cylindraceum from the main basin of Lake Huron and Georgian Bay in the Laurentian Great Lakes of North America to investigate details of diet and feeding tactics of these species in different seasons. Lake whitefish supports important commercial fisheries in Lake Huron and both species make use of habitats near the Bruce Nuclear Power Development, on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. Most fish of both species showed generalist feeding behavior, but some lake whitefish appeared to show specialist prey selection. The invasive spiny water flea Bythotrephes longimanus was an important component of the diet of both species. There was considerable dietary overlap between the whitefish species, but the ecological implications of these dietary overlaps are mitigated by the fact that dominant prey species differed in most seasons. We conclude that the potential for ecologically significant interactions between lake whitefish and round whitefish resulting from competition for similar benthic food resources in the main basin of Lake Huron is probably low.

Morphological and Ecological Divergence Within the Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) Species Complex in Yukon Territory

1979 ◽  
Vol 36 (10) ◽  
pp. 1214-1222 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Bodaly
Keyword(s):  
Lake Water ◽  
Species Complex ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
Gill Rakers ◽  
Growth Divergence ◽  
Gill Raker ◽  
Plankton Feeders

Two forms of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis species complex sensu McPhail and Lindsey [1970]) were found in each of five lakes in Yukon Territory. They are characterized by differences in gill raker counts. Low gill raker fish are benthic feeders and are found almost exclusively near the bottom while high raker fish are largely plankton feeders, being found throughout the lake water column. High raker fish have longer and more closely spaced gill rakers than low raker fish. They also have shorter life spans and mature earlier than low raker fish. Lakes supporting these sympatric populations of lake whitefish have no cisco populations. The low gill raker member of these sympatric populations seems to be equivalent to most other Yukon lake whitefish whereas the high raker member appears to be the unusual member of each sympatric pair. Key words: whitefish, lake, feeding, morphology, growth, divergence, Yukon Territory, sympatric populations

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