Genomic dynamics of brown trout (Salmo trutta) populations released to a
novel environment
Abstract
Understanding the consequences of human induced translocations on
natural populations requires genetic monitoring. Salmonid fishes
represent a group of species experiencing several such large-scale
perturbations expected to affect microevolutionary processes. Here, two
genetically separate brown trout populations with divergent life history
traits are studied following their release into waters previously void
of trout. We use a pooled sequencing approach to explore the genomic
characteristics of the released stocks and of populations established in
the wild in two lakes down-stream of the release site 30 years (4-5
generations) later. While most of the differences (FST=0.16) between the
released stocks can be attributed to drift, we identify putatively
adaptive differences between them in genes involved in immunity,
hearing, skin and muscle texture. Higher levels of genome-wide diversity
in established populations compared to released stocks suggest extensive
hybridization between stocks. However, released stocks are unequally
represented in the established populations, with one stock mainly
contributing to the lake closest to the release site, and the other
dominating the lake further downstream. We also identify genomic regions
putatively under directional selection in the new environment, where
genes from one of the released populations, governing metabolism, appear
advantageous. Our results demonstrate that hybridization, establishment,
and adaptation can be rapid after release into novel environments. We
show that such ongoing processes, important for conservation and
management, are possible to monitor over contemporary time scales even
for a species with relatively small local effective population sizes and
a large, complex genome.