Testing the effects of genetic crossing distance on embryo survival within a metapopulation of brown trout (Salmo trutta)

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Version: Author's accepted manuscript
Serval ID
serval:BIB_D9F21EF4FDE4
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Testing the effects of genetic crossing distance on embryo survival within a metapopulation of brown trout (Salmo trutta)
Journal
Conservation Genetics
Author(s)
Stelkens R.B., Pompini M., Wedekind C.
ISSN
1572-9737
ISSN-L
1566-0621
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2014
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
15
Number
2
Pages
375-386
Language
english
Abstract
Predicting progeny performance from parental genetic divergence can potentially enhance the efficiency of supportive breeding programmes and facilitate risk assessment. Yet, experimental testing of the effects of breeding distance on offspring performance remains rare, especially in wild populations of vertebrates. Recent studies have demonstrated that embryos of salmonid fish are sensitive indicators of additive genetic variance for viability traits. We therefore used gametes of wild brown trout (Salmo trutta) from five genetically distinct populations of a river catchment in Switzerland, and used a full factorial design to produce over 2,000 embryos in 100 different crosses with varying genetic distances (FST range 0.005-0.035). Customized egg capsules allowed recording the survival of individual embryos until hatching under natural field conditions. Our breeding design enabled us to evaluate the role of the environment, of genetic and nongenetic parental contributions, and of interactions between these factors, on embryo viability. We found that embryo survival was strongly affected by maternal environmental (i.e. non-genetic) effects and by the microenvironment, i.e. by the location within the gravel. However, embryo survival was not predicted by population divergence, parental allelic dissimilarity, or heterozygosity, neither in the field nor under laboratory conditions. Our findings suggest that the genetic effects of inter-population hybridization within a genetically differentiated meta-population can be minor in comparison to environmental effects.
Keywords
Genetic distance, Inbreeding, Maternal effects, Outbreeding, Optimal outcrossing distance, Additive genetic variance, Salmo trutta, Salmonidae
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
09/10/2013 15:46
Last modification date
20/08/2019 15:59
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