Genome-wide divergence patterns support fine-scaled genetic structuring associated with migration tendency in brown trout

Abstract

Brown trout (Salmo trutta) exhibit highly diverse life histories varying from resident, slow-growing, and early maturing to migratory, fast-growing, and late maturing, even within single watersheds. We sampled 11 locations within the transboundary Finnish–Russian River Koutajoki watershed to evaluate genomic differences among mainstem and headwater sites, of which some are isolated by migration barriers. Restriction site associated sequencing (RADSeq) revealed that the most headwater localities supported unique, isolated populations with generally lower heterozygosity compared with the mainstem populations. The sampled migratory adults in the three main stems showed signals of admixture despite small but statistically significant genetic divergence, while the headwater populations, except for two, showed a high level of divergence and a lack of admixture. These results suggest that most of the headwater populations consist of resident brown trout and that the population genetic structuring is often maintained even in the absence of migration barriers. Our results have clear implications for fisheries management and conservation; each brown trout subpopulation represents an evolutionarily important unit with unique genetic makeup and life history variation.