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Environment-phenotype interactions: Influences of brackish-water rearing on lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) physiology

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Abstract

Fertilization and development in salmonids occurs almost exclusively within freshwater environments (< 1 ppt). A less common life history strategy in this group of fishes is the brackish-water resident life history, where entire life cycles occur in brackish water (> 1 ppt). In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that differences in rearing environment (fresh or brackish water) results in significant differences in the ability of lake trout to ionoregulate when faced with a salinity challenge later in life. To test this, genetically similar lake trout were fertilized and raised at either 0 or 5 ppt saltwater. At approximately 240 days post hatch, lake trout from both rearing environments were acutely transferred to 20 ppt salt water or their respective rearing environments as a control. Individuals were sampled at time 0, 1, 7, and 14 days post transfer. Fish raised in 5 ppt transferred to 20 ppt saltwater had significantly higher gill Na+ K+-ATPase activity, gill Na+ K+-ATPase α1b expression, and lower plasma osmolality when compared to freshwater reared lake trout transferred to 20 ppt across various time points. Additionally, the 5 ppt control treatment had greater overall aerobic scope than 0 ppt control fish and those transferred from 0 ppt to 20 ppt. These data imply that populations exhibiting a brackish-water resident life history, as has been observed in Arctic Canada, may have an advantage over freshwater reared conspecifics when foraging in marine influenced environments and colonizing new locations in coastal regions.

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Acknowledgements

This project was made possible through funding and collaboration from multiple sources. Funding was provided by NSERC Discovery grant (#311909) to WGA, JRT was funded by an NSERC Discovery Grant (#418503) and the Canada Research Chairs Program (#223744). Assistance in fish rearing was supported by the University of Manitoba Animal holding staff and extensive support and guidance was given by Terry Smith. Additional assistance, with fish husbandry and sampling was provided by Alex Borecky, Ben Carriere, Alex Hare, Biobelemoye Irabor, and Julia Wiens. Assistance with statistics was provided by Dr. David Deslauriers and editing by Amy Flasko. Gamete collection was approved by Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship fisheries science and fish culture permit number 31-13 and all subsequent experiments were approved under the Animal Use Protocol F13-029 by the University of Manitoba protocol management review committee following guidelines established by the Canadian Council for Animal Care. We are grateful to provincial fisheries biologists, Laureen Janusz and Jeff Long, for their assistance in the capture and harvesting of gametes from wild-caught lake trout.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Manitoba, 50 Sifton Road, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada

    Benjamin C. Kissinger, Nick Czehryn, Jason Treberg & W. Gary Anderson

  2. Fisheries and Oceans Canada, 501 University Crescent, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N6, Canada

    Benjamin C. Kissinger, Eva C. Enders & James D. Reist

  3. Department of Biological Sciences, DePaul University, 2325 N. Clifton Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60614, USA

    Jason Bystriansky & Emily Whitmore

  4. Department of Human Nutritional Sciences, University of Manitoba, 35 Chancellors Circle, Winnipeg, MB, R3T 2N2, Canada

    Jason Treberg

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  1. Benjamin C. Kissinger
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Correspondence to Benjamin C. Kissinger.

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Kissinger, B.C., Bystriansky, J., Czehryn, N. et al. Environment-phenotype interactions: Influences of brackish-water rearing on lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) physiology. Environ Biol Fish 100, 797–814 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-017-0607-0

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