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Population structure, local adaptation, and genetic basis of fitness traits in pacific salmonids
Population structure, local adaptation, and genetic basis of fitness traits in Pacific salmonids
Problem Statement
Understanding how patterns of genetic diversity influence population and species viability is
essential for developing recovery plans and evaluating the impacts of management actions and
environmental change.
Critical Factors
- The homing behavior of Pacific salmonids has led to considerable genetic diversity among populations.
- Genetic diversity is believed to be important for population and species viability, but
this relationship is not well quantified.
- Understanding the relationship between genetic diversity and species viability is important for setting recovery goals and evaluating impacts on protected species. Critical questions include:
- How small can a population be before the consequences of inbreeding significantly reduce viability?
- How genetically different can two populations be before inter-breeding between them leads to significant reduction in fitness?
- If a local population goes extinct, how readily can another population adapt to take its place?
- What are 'natural' levels of straying among populations, and what are the consequences of
increasing straying rates due to releases of hatchery fish?
- What is the genetic basis of important traits such as growth or age at maturity? Does this basis vary among species or populations?
- Can we identify specific genes where variation is particularly important
for population fitness?
- Can salmon populations adapt rapidly enough to long-term environmental changes
produced by global warming or other anthropogenic factors?
Status of Research
Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC) scientists are conducting research to
better understand and quantify the importance of genetic diversity within and
among salmon populations. These projects include:
- Measuring the effects of inbreeding in Puget Sound chinook salmon.
- Creating genome maps of chinook and coho salmon and identifying
chromosomal regions associated with traits important to adaptation and
fitness in these species.
- Characterizing the effects of interbreeding among Alaskan coho salmon
populations to measure the strength of local adaptations.
- Conducting research to determine the usefulness of molecular tools
in measuring natural selec tion and local adaptation.
Future considerations
Understanding how local adaptation shapes genetic diversity contributes
significantly to correctly managing Pacific salmon stocks, as well as to
broader problems in population genetics. NWFSC experiments designed to
provide insights into the patterns and processes of salmon adaptation to the
local environment and quantify the importance of local adaptation to species
survival will address these important questions.
Key Players
Conservation Biology (CB) Division, NWFSC
Bonneville Power Administration
Long Live the Kings
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Suquamish Tribal Fisheries Department
University of Washington
University of Alaska
U.S. Geological Survey
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Aquaseed, Inc.
Contact: Dr. Michael Ford, Director, CB Division (206/860-5612)
NWFSC Issue Paper CB 6104
Issue Papers Home
last modified 2002-07-29
Web site owner: Northwest Fisheries Science Center
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