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Physiological, Endocrine, and Genetic Bases of Anadromy in the Brook Charr, Salvelinus Fontinalis, of the Laval River (Québec, Canada)

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Abstract

Brook charr, Salvelinus fontinalis, often display alternate life history styles in coastal areas. In the Laval River, some brook charr remain freshwater residents, while others undergo seasonal migrations between freshwater and saltwater environments. In the present paper, we examined physiological (electrolyte concentrations, gill Na+, K+-ATPase activity, and thyroid hormone levels) as well as genetic differences (neutral genetic markers) between anadromous and river-resident fish from the Laval River. We also examined how artificial rearing conditions affected seasonal variations in the osmoregulatory physiology of a domestic strain derived from wild anadromous fish. Sympatric anadromous and resident forms of brook charr of the Laval River exhibited differences in gill Na+, K+-ATPase activity, plasma thyroxine (T4), and triidothyronine (T3) concentrations. In domestic anadromous charr, rearing conditions during development had no negative impact on osmoregulatory ability or on gill Na+, K+-ATPase activity. These results argued for an important hereditary component of gill Na+, K+-ATPase activity. However, the spring increase in T4 was present only in wild fish. Significant differences observed at microsatellite loci further suggested that at least some level of reproductive isolation may have occurred between anadromous and resident charr in the Laval River.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. ISMER, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 310 des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec, G5L 3A1, Canada

    Dominic Boula & Céline Audet

  2. GIROQ, Département Biologie, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Québec, GIK 7P4, Canada

    Vincent Castric & Louis Bernatchez

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  1. Dominic Boula
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  2. Vincent Castric
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  4. Céline Audet
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Boula, D., Castric, V., Bernatchez, L. et al. Physiological, Endocrine, and Genetic Bases of Anadromy in the Brook Charr, Salvelinus Fontinalis, of the Laval River (Québec, Canada). Environmental Biology of Fishes 64, 229–242 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016054119783

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