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Hydrogeographic Vicariance Determines the Genetic Structure of Northwestern Walleye Populations
Author(s) -
Burke Lindsey A.,
Jobin Richard M.,
Coltman David W.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
transactions of the american fisheries society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.696
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1548-8659
pISSN - 0002-8487
DOI - 10.1080/00028487.2012.675906
Subject(s) - vicariance , drainage basin , stocking , population , geography , fish migration , ecology , structural basin , biology , fishery , phylogeography , habitat , paleontology , biochemistry , demography , cartography , sociology , gene , phylogenetic tree
Walleye Sander vitreus is one of the most important freshwater commercial and sport fishes in western Canada. It is an intensively managed species that is under considerable harvest pressure, yet little is known about the patterns of genetic variation and diversity of walleyes between connected water bodies and among river basins in this region. We examined the genetic variation of walleyes from 12 lakes in five different river basins of northern Alberta. Each lake contained a genetically distinct walleye subpopulation nested within a larger population of the river basin in which the lake was situated. Differentiation between subpopulations varied ( F ST = 0.05–0.29) and exhibited a broad‐scale isolation‐by‐distance pattern. Patterns of genetic divergence aligned closely with the current hydrogeographical landscape, as subpopulations in the same river basin were more similar than those in different river basins. The clear and distinct pattern of genetic structure is likely to have been generated and maintained by historical vicariance and natal philopatry. Because walleye populations are so clearly genetically structured by hydrogeography in western Canada, these data can be used to monitor population status, assess stocking programs, delineate management units, and enable forensic enforcement of harvest restrictions in this region.