Using genomic tools to investigate adaptive diversity in Great Lakes cisco

Session: Application of Genomic Tools to Inform Management of the Great Lakes (3)

Amanda Ackiss, University of Wisconsin Stevens Point, [email protected]
Kevin Donner, Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians, [email protected]
Jory Jonas, Michigan Department of Natural Resources, [email protected]
Wendylee Stott, Michigan State University, USGS Great Lakes Science Center, [email protected]
Wesley Larson, U.S. Geological Survey, [email protected]

Abstract

The Great Lakes were once populated by a diverse Coregonus artedi (cisco) species complex comprised of at least eight distinct morphotypes. Over the past century, the introduction of invasive forage fish, overfishing, and habitat loss led to large decreases in cisco abundance and lake-wide extirpation to complete extinction of historically documented forms. Recent evidence for declining abundance of invasive fish and increasing abundance in cisco has led to growing interest in re-establishing lost populations. Understanding the roles of phenotypic plasticity in the persistence of extant morphotypes and heritable genetic differences in establishing and maintaining these distinct cisco forms is vital for developing informed restoration strategies. To address this need, we employed a RAD sequencing approach to subsample the genomes of more than 1,300 cisco throughout the Great Lakes basin, including morphotypes C. artedi, C. hoyi, C. kiyi, C. nigripinnis, and C. zenithicus. We examined neutral and adaptive genetic differentiation, genetic diversity, and effective population sizes to identify potential conservation units and broodstock sources, and we used a newly-developed C. artedi linkage map to investigate adaptive differentiation within and among morphotypes and lakes with the goal of understanding the evolutionary mechanisms behind the phenotypic variation observed between forms.

Twitter handle of presenter
@fin__gen