Using genomic data to guide the conservation and management of migratory salmonids.

Abstract

The development of new genomic tools for migratory salmonids is enabling us to explore in unprecedented detail the genetic basis of local adaptation in these species. This, in turn, will allow us to design more effective conservation and restoration strategies and better predict the impact of environmental change on salmonid populations. Surprisingly, several ecologically important adaptations that enable salmonids to exploit different niches have turned out to be underlain by single regions of the genome with large effects. These include genes that determine spawning site selection in sockeye salmon, genes that underlie the timing of spawning migration in steelhead and chinook salmon, and genes determining age at maturity in Atlantic salmon. In some cases, changes at the same locus may repeatedly underlie specific environmental adaptations in multiple species. Further, studies at the genomic level may reveal unexpectedly strong differentiation among populations that were previously considered to be ecologically interchangeable. In this talk, I will focus on work identifying regions of the genome underlying local adaptation in Atlantic salmon at microgeographic, regional, and continental scales. I will demonstrate how this new information can improve our management of the species.