Environmental and genetic influences on fitness-related traits in a hatchery coho salmon population

Many natural and managed organisms will require substantial functional genetic variation to respond to selection in the face of rapid environmental change. Pacific salmon have experienced strong fluctuations in critical fitness traits over the past five decades. We examined genetic and phenotypic va...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences 2021-07, Vol.78 (7), p.852-868
Main Authors: Devlin, Robert H, Supernault, Janine, Gezan, Salvador A, Chan, Michelle T.T, Wetklo, Mike, Biagi, Carlo A, Sakhrani, Dionne, Barnetson, Stu, Dixon, Glen, Tattersall, Evelyn, Davidson, William S, Koop, Ben F, Willis, David M, Withler, Ruth E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adaptation
Aptitudes
Condition factor
Creeks
Environmental aspects
Environmental changes
Fish hatcheries
Fish populations
Fitness
Fluctuations
Genetic aspects
Genetic diversity
Genetic variability
Heritability
Jacks
Oncorhynchus kisutch
Physiological aspects
Population
Population number
Progeny
Propagation
Reproductive fitness
Salmon
Salmoniformes
Silver salmon
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Summary:Many natural and managed organisms will require substantial functional genetic variation to respond to selection in the face of rapid environmental change. Pacific salmon have experienced strong fluctuations in critical fitness traits over the past five decades. We examined genetic and phenotypic variability over three generations in a pedigreed hatchery population of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) by monitoring seven fitness-related traits. Three-year-old adult return numbers varied more than fivefold, and jack (2-year-old males) numbers varied 13-fold. Body sizes of Inch Creek coho salmon decreased consistently such that fish were only 40.7% as heavy in 2015 as in 2006, and female reproductive traits also decreased. During the study period, the majority of families produced returning adult progeny, and effective population size was relatively constant. Heritability estimates for phenotypic traits were significantly greater than zero except for condition factor, and the estimated heritability for jacking was 0.42. The Inch Creek coho salmon population harbours substantial heritability for fitness and reproductive traits and thus likely retains substantial capacity for adaptation despite many years of hatchery propagation.
ISSN:0706-652X
1205-7533
DOI:10.1139/cjfas-2020-0383