Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Patterns of intra- and inter-population genetic diversity in Alaskan coho salmon: Implications for conservation

  • Published:
Conservation Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Little is known about the genetic diversityof coho salmon in Alaska, although this arearepresents half of the species' North Americanrange. In this study, nine microsatellite lociwere used to genotype 32 putative coho salmonpopulations from seven regions of Alaska. Theprimary objectives were to estimate andevaluate the degree and spatial distribution ofneutral genetic diversity within and amongpopulations of Alaskan coho salmon. Geneticanalysis yielded four results that provideinsight into forces influencing geneticdiversity in Alaskan coho salmon and haveimportant conservation implications: 1)significant population differentiation wasfound within each region; 2) the degree ofdifferentiation (F ST = 0.099) amongpopulations was as large or larger than thatreported for other Pacific salmon species inAlaska; 3) phenetic clustering of populationsshowed weak geographic concordance; 4) stronggenetic isolation by distance was only apparentat the finest geographic scale (within adrainage). These results suggest that cohosalmon populations are small relative topopulations of other Pacific salmon, and thegenetic diversity within and among coho salmonpopulations is influenced primarily by geneticdrift, and not gene flow. Resource managementand conservation actions affecting coho salmonin Alaska must recognize that the populationsare generally small, isolated, and probablyexhibit local adaptation to different spawningand freshwater rearing habitats. These factorsjustify managing and conserving Alaskan cohosalmon at a fine geographic scale.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allendorf FW, Waples RS (1996) Conservation and genetics of salmonid fishes. In: Conservation Genetics: Case Histories From Nature (eds. Avise JC, Hamrick JL), pp. 238–280. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, MA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker TT, Werthheimer AC, Burkett RD, Dunlap R, Eggers DM, Fritts EI, Gharrett AJ, Holmes RA, Wilmot RL (1996) Status of Pacific salmon and steelhead escapements in southeast Alaska. Fisheries, 21, 6–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banks MA, Blouin MS, Baldwin BA, Rashbrook VK, Fitzgerald HA, Blankenship SM, Hedgecock D (1999) Isolation and inheritance of novel microsatellites in chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). J. Hered., 90, 281–288.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beacham TD, Miller KM, Withler RE (1996) Minisatellite DNA variation and stock identification of coho salmon. J. Fish Biol., 49, 411–429.

    Google Scholar 

  • Buchholz WG, Miller SJ, Spearman WJ (2001) Isolation and characterization of chum salmon microsatellite loci and use across species. Anim. Genet., 32, 162–165.

    Google Scholar 

  • Burgner RL (1991) Life history of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). In: Pacific Salmon Life Histories (eds. C. Groot, L. Margolis), pp. 3–117. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver.

    Google Scholar 

  • Busby PJ, Wainwright TC, Bryant GL, Lierheimer L, Waples RS, Waknitz FW, Lagomarsino IV (1996) Status review of west coast steelhead from Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and California. U.S. Dep. Commer. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NWFSC-27, 261 p.

  • Carney BL, Gray AK, Gharrett AJ (1997) Mitochondrial DNA restriction site variation within and among five populations of Alaskan coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 54, 940–949.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cavalli-Sforza LL, Edwards WF (1967) Phylogenetic analysis models and estimation procedures. Am. J. Hum. Genet., 19, 233–257.

    Google Scholar 

  • El Mousadik A, Petit RJ (1996) High level of genetic differentiation for allelic richness among populations of the argan tree (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels) endemic to Morocco. Theo. App. Genet., 92, 832–839.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felsenstein J (1993) PHYLIP version 3.5c. Distributed by author. Department of Genetics, University of Washington, Seattle.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gharrett AJ, Gray AK, Brykov V (2001) Phylogeographic analysis of mitochondrial DNA variation in Alaskan coho salmon, Oncorhynchus kisutch. Fish. Bull., U.S., 99, 528–544.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gharrett AJ, Shirley SM, Tromble GR (1987) Genetic relationships among populations of Alaskan chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 44, 765–774.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goudet J (2001) FSTAT, a program to estimate and test gene diversities and fixation indices, version 2.9.3. Available from http://www.unil.ch/izea/softwares/fstat.html.

  • Hartl DL, Clark AG (1989) Principles of Population Genetics, 2nd edn. Sinauer Associates, Inc. Sunderland, MA, pp. 317–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hendry AP, Wenburg JK, Bentzen P, Volk EC, Quinn TP (2000) Rapid evolution of reproductive isolation in the wild: Evidence from introduced salmon. Science, 290, 516–518.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hutchison DW, Templeton AR (1999) Correlation of pairwise genetic and geographic distance measures: Inferring the relative influences of gene flow and drift on the distribution of genetic variability. Evolution, 53, 1898–1914.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kinnison MT, Bentzen P, Unwin MJ, Quinn TP (2002) Reconstructing recent divergence: Evaluating nonequilibrium population structure in New Zealand chinook salmon. Mol. Ecol., 11, 739–754.

    Google Scholar 

  • Michalakis Y, Excoffier L (1996) A generic estimation population subdivision using distances between alleles with special reference for microsatellite loci. Genetics, 142, 1061–1064.

    Google Scholar 

  • Myers JM, Kope RG, Bryant GJ, Teel D, Lierheimer LJ, Wainwright TC, Grant WS, Waknitz FW, Neely K, Lindley ST, Waples RS (1998) Status review of chinook salmon fromWashington, Idaho, Oregon, and California. U.S. Dep. Commer. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NWFSC-35, 443 p.

  • Nelson RJ, Beacham TD (1999) Isolation and cross species ampli-fication of microsatellite loci useful for study of Pacific salmon. Anim. Genet., 30, 228–229.

    Google Scholar 

  • Page, RDM (1996) TREEVIEW: An application to display phylogenetic trees on personal computers. Computer Applications in the Biosciences, 12, 357–358.

    Google Scholar 

  • Raymond M, Rousset F (1995) GENEPOP Version 1.2: Population genetics software for exact tests and ecumenicism. J. Hered., 86, 248–249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rice WR (1989) Analyzing tables of statistical tests. Evolution, 43, 223–225.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rousset F (1996) Equilibrium values of measures of population subdivision for stepwise mutation processes. Genetics, 142, 1357–1362.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rousset F (1997) Genetic differentiation and estimation of gene flow from F-statistics under isolation by distance. Genetics, 145, 1219–1228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandercock FK (1991) Life history of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). In: Pacific Salmon Life Histories (eds. Groot C, Margolis L), pp. 396–445. University of British Columbia Press, Vancouver.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schneider S, Roessli D, Excoffier, L (2000) ARLEQUIN version 2.0: A Software for Population Genetics Data Analysis. Genetics and Biometry Laboratory, Dept. of Anthropology and Ecology, University of Geneva, CP 511, 1211 Geneva 24, Switzerland.

  • Scribner KT, Gust JR, Fields RL (1996) Isolation and characterization of novel salmon microsatellite loci: Cross-species amplification and population genetic applications. Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 53, 833–841.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seeb JE, Habicht C, Olsen JB, Bentzen P, Shaklee JB, Seeb LW (1998) Allozyme, mtDNA, and microsatellite variants describe structure of populations of pink and sockeye salmon in Alaska. N. Pac. Anadr. Fish Comm., Bull. No. 1, 300–318.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seeb LW, Crane PA (1999) High genetic heterogeneity in chum salmon in western Alaska, the contact zone between northern and southern lineages. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc., 128, 58–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seeb LW, Habicht C, Templin WD, Tarbox KE, Davis RZ, Brannian LK, Seeb JE (2000) Genetic diversity of sockeye salmon of Cook Inlet, Alaska, and its application to management of populations affected by the Exxon Valdez oil spill. Trans. Am. Fish. Soc., 129, 1223–1249.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaklee JB, Beacham TD, Seeb L, White BA (1999) Managing fisheries using genetic data: Case studies from four species of Pacific salmon. Fisheries Research, 43, 45–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slatkin M (1993) Isolation by distance in equilibrium and nonequilibrium populations. Evolution, 47, 264–279.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slatkin M (1995) A measure of population subdivision based on microsatellite allele frequencies. Genetics, 139, 457–462.

    Google Scholar 

  • Small MP, Beacham TD, Withler RE, Nelson RJ (1998) Discriminating coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) populations within the Fraser River, British Columbia using microsatellite DNA markers. Mol. Ecol., 7, 141–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith CT, Koop BF, Nelson RJ (1998) Isolation and characterization of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) microsatellites and their use in other salmonids. Mol. Ecol., 7, 1614–1616.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith CT, Nelson RJ, Wood CC, Koop BF (2001) Glacial biogeography of North American coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Mol. Ecol., 10, 2775–2785.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor EB (1991) A review of local adaptation in salmonidae, with particular reference to Pacific and Atlantic salmon. Aquaculture, 98, 185–207.

    Google Scholar 

  • Waples RS, Gustafson RG, Weitkamp LA, Myers JM, Johnson OW, Busby PJ, Hard JJ, Bryant GJ, Waknitz FW, Neely K, Teel D, Grant WS, Winans GA, Phelps S, Marshall A, Baker BM (2001) Characterizing diversity in salmon from the Pacific Northwest. J. Fish Biol., 59, 1–41.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weir BS, Cockerham CC (1984) Estimating F-statistics for the analysis of population structure. Evolution, 38, 1358–1370.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weitkamp LA, Wainwright TC, Bryant GJ, Milner GB, Teel DJ, Kope RG, Waples RS (1995) Status review of coho salmon from Washington, Oregon, and California. U.S. Dep. Commer. NOAA Tech. Memo. NMFS-NWFSC-24, 258 p.

  • Werthheimer AC (1997) Status of Alaska salmon. In: Pacific Salmon and Their Ecosystems: Status and Future Options (eds. Stouder DJ, Bisson PA, Naiman RJ), pp. 179–197. Chapman and Hall, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhivotovsky LA, Gharrett AJ, McGregor AJ, Glubokovsky MK, Feldman MW (1994) Gene differentiation in Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus sp.): Facts and models with reference to pink salmon (O. gorbuscha). Can. J. Fish. Aquat. Sci., 51, 223–232.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conservation Genetics Laboratory, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska, USA, 99503

    Jeffrey B. Olsen, Steve J. Miller, William J. Spearman & John K. Wenburg

Authors
  1. Jeffrey B. Olsen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Steve J. Miller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. William J. Spearman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. John K. Wenburg
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jeffrey B. Olsen.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Olsen, J.B., Miller, S.J., Spearman, W.J. et al. Patterns of intra- and inter-population genetic diversity in Alaskan coho salmon: Implications for conservation. Conservation Genetics 4, 557–569 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025684104113

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1025684104113

Search

Navigation