Evolution of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in North America during the Pleistocene: Genetic Differentiation between Sympatric Populations

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 769-779 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. A. Bodaly ◽  
J. W. Clayton ◽  
C. C. Lindsey ◽  
J. Vuorinen
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
New England ◽  
Glacial Refugia ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
Sympatric Forms ◽  
Electrophoretic Data ◽  
Glacial Refuge

We use electrophoretic data on dehydrogenase enzymes to examine the relatedness of sympatric populations of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) and provide evidence for the existence of a glacial refuge race of lake whitefish in eastern North America. This Acadian race is presently found in New England, the Gaspé peninsula of Québec, and New Brunswick. It probably survived glaciation in a refugium on the exposed coastal plain of northeastern North America. In areas of contact, most glacial races appear to introgress and do not coexist in sympatry. However, sympatric pairs of populations occur (or occurred) within the ranges of all races of lake whitefish. Allele frequencies for at least one enzyme system examined for most sympatric pairs were significantly different, indicating that these sympatric populations are wholly or substantially, isolated reproductively from each other. Both members of the population pairs examined in the Yukon Territory, Ontario, and Labrador were genetically characteristic of the glacial races of their region. This suggests that they are not the result of speciation due to geographic isolation in different glacial refugia. Thus, their origin appears to be postglacial, but may be older if present genetic similarities are due to recent gene flow between sympatric forms.

Evolution of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) in North America during the Pleistocene: Evidence for a Nahanni Glacial Refuge Race in the Northern Cordillera Region

1992 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 760-768 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Foote ◽  
J. W. Clayton ◽  
C. C. Lindsey ◽  
R. A. Bodaly
Keyword(s):  
Northwest Territories ◽  
National Park ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Glacial Refugium ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Geological Evidence ◽  
Athabasca River ◽  
Peace River ◽  
Glacial Refuge

Lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) could have survived through (at least) the Illinoisan and Wisconsinan Pleistocene glacial maxima in an area in the vicinity of the present Nahanni National Park in the Northwest Territories of Canada according to the geological evidence. This possibility was addressed by an analysis of the genetic makeup of 43 lake whitefish populations in the Northwest Territories, the Yukon Territory, British Columbia, and Alberta. Populations in the lower Liard, Tetcela, Fraser, and upper Peace River systems as well as the headwaters of the Athabasca River were distinguished from both the Bering glacial refuge race populations inhabiting the Yukon and upper Liard River basins in the Yukon Territory and the Mississippi–Missouri glacial refuge race populations inhabiting most of the Northwest Territories, Alberta, and areas further to the east by a specific combination of electrophoretic mobility alleles. This evidence supports the hypothesis of the survival and subsequent dispersal of lake whitefish from a Nahanni glacial refugium. Possible dispersal routes and the limited extent of introgression among races are discussed.

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

Why are dwarf fish so small? An energetic analysis of polymorphism in lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis)

2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 394-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Trudel ◽  
Alain Tremblay ◽  
Roger Schetagne ◽  
Joseph B Rasmussen
Keyword(s):  
Life Span ◽  
Energy Budget ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
Subarctic Lakes ◽  
Lower Growth ◽  
Chemical Tracers ◽  
Mass Balance Models ◽  
Consumption Rates

Sympatric populations of dwarf lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) (DLW) and normal lake whitefish (NLW) commonly occur in north temperate and subarctic lakes. DLW have a much lower growth, mature earlier, and have a shorter life span than NLW. Furthermore, they are usually not found when cisco (Coregonus artedi) are present, possibly due to competitive exclusion. In this study, we compared the energy budget of DLW, NLW, and cisco using food consumption rates estimated with mass balance models of chemical tracers (i.e., mercury and radiocesium). These chemicals are globally distributed and can be readily detected in fish and their prey. Our analysis showed that the energy budget of DLW and cisco was similar. DLW and cisco consumed on average 40–50% more food than NLW. The conversion efficiency of DLW and cisco was two to three times lower than that of NLW. These results suggest that DLW and cisco allocated a larger fraction of their energy budget to metabolism than NLW. Our analysis also suggests that the earlier maturation and shorter life span of DLW and cisco may be due to their higher metabolic rates.

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

Growth and Reproduction of the Lake Whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis, in Lac la Ronge, Saskatchewan

1968 ◽  
Vol 25 (10) ◽  
pp. 2091-2100 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. U. Qadri
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Life Span ◽  
Fork Length ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Young Fish ◽  
Large Lakes ◽  
Growth And Reproduction

In Lac la Ronge the lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis (Mitchill)) spawned from late October until the middle of November at ages of 8 years and over. The growing season lasted from late May to early October and young fish grew faster than older ones and tended to have a longer growing season. Ages for 1604 fish taken during 4 years showed that they grew to a fork length of about 16 inches in 10 years, the rate being slower than for lake whitefish in other large lakes in North America. The length-weight relationships were linear: for the open lake, log W = 3.48 log L – 3.93, and for Hunter Bay, log W = 3.26 log L – 3.66. The males matured a little earlier than females and their life span was somewhat shorter. The sex ratio was approximately 1:1.

Late Pleistocene fish fossils of Coregonus, Stenodus, Thymallus, Catostomus, Lota, and Cottus from the Old Crow basin, northern Yukon, Canada

1981 ◽  
Vol 18 (11) ◽  
pp. 1740-1754 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen L. Cumbaa ◽  
Don E. McAllister ◽  
Richard E. Morlan
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Geographic Variation ◽  
Glacial Refugia ◽  
Yukon Territory ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Arctic Grayling ◽  
Thymallus Arcticus ◽  
Freshwater Sculpin ◽  
Longnose Sucker ◽  
First Time

Fossils of the broad whitefish, Coregonus nasus; the inconnu, Stenodus leucichthys; the longnose sucker, Catostomus catostomus; and the burbot, Lota lota, are reported for the first time from North America and a freshwater sculpin, Cottus, for the first time from Yukon Territory. The known fossil occurrence of the Arctic grayling, Thymallus arcticus, in North America is extended from 32 000 to about 60 000 years BP. These six fossils represent about one sixth of the present-day Yukon freshwater ichthyofauna of 35 species.These fossils provide a major test for the method of determining glacial refugia based on geographic variation of morphological or protein characters. They confirm that these taxa were present prior to and presumably survived the Wisconsinan glaciation in a Beringian refugium.The occurrence of these fossils, all subarctic or subarctic–boreal species known at present in the same area, does not suggest a paleoenvironment greatly different from the present one.

Genetic and Morphological Differentiation between Dwarf and Normal Size Forms of Lake Whitefish (Coregonus clupeafotmis) in Como Lake, Ontario

1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (1) ◽  
pp. 210-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Vuorinen ◽  
R. A. Bodaly ◽  
J. D. Reist ◽  
L. Bernatchez ◽  
J. J. Dodson
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Morphological Differentiation ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Lake Ontario ◽  
Glacial Refugia ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
Allopatric Divergence ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Morphological Differences

Normal and dwarf size forms of lake whitefish (Coregonus clupeaformis) from Como Lake, Ontario, were sampled at spawning time and examined for differences in electrophoretic, mtDNA, and morphological characteristics to test the hypothesis of reproductive isolation and provide clues regarding evolutionary origin. Of the 36 enzyme loci examined, 33 were fixed for the same alleles in both dwarf and normal lake whitefish. At the three polymorphic loci, allele frequencies were not statistically different between dwarfs and normals. mtDNA analysis revealed five different haplotypes. The same mtDNA haplotype was the most common in both dwarf and normal lake whitefish, but there was a statistically significant difference in haplotype frequencies between the two size forms. Discriminant and principal component analyses demonstrated highly significant morphological differences between dwarfs and normals. Because the two size morphs spawn in the same place at the same time, it is most likely that genetic differences, not different rearing environments, underly the observed morphological differences. mtDNA haplotypes derived from both the Mississippi and Atlantic glacial refugia are present in Como Lake lake whitefish, raising the possibility of an allopatric divergence for the two forms; however, this hypothesis requires testing by genetic comparisons of other sympatric populations in Ontario.

Spawning of Lake Whitefish, Coregonus clupeaformis, and Round Whiteftsh, Prosopium cylindraceum, in Aishihik Lake and East Aishihik River, Yukon Territory

1975 ◽  
Vol 32 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. Bryan ◽  
D. A. Kato
Keyword(s):  
Yukon Territory ◽  
Coregonus Clupeaformis ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Hydroelectric Development ◽  
Spawning Grounds ◽  
Spawning Period

Spawning grounds used by lake (Coregonus clupeaformis) and round whitefish (Prosopium cylindraceum) were discovered in the course of an investigation on effects of hydroelectric development. The spawning period for lake whitefish extended from early November to at least mid-December 1973. Lake whitefish spawned over silt and Potomogeton in water which had little current and was 2.0–2.5 m deep. Spawning of round whitefish was probably completed in November. Round whitefish spawned during the day. Eggs were apparently broadcast over a variety of substrata ranging from silt and Potamogeton to gravel and boulder. Round whitefish eggs were deposited in both fast and slow current at depths ranging from 0.7 to 2.5 m. Although deposited in a range of habitats, round whitefish eggs seemed to be most abundant on gravel in fast current at depths less than 1 m.

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