Stocking activities for the Arctic charr in Lake Geneva: Genetic effects in space and time.

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Version: Final published version
Serval ID
serval:BIB_E4368D5DAB1A
Type
Article: article from journal or magazin.
Collection
Publications
Institution
Title
Stocking activities for the Arctic charr in Lake Geneva: Genetic effects in space and time.
Journal
Ecology and Evolution
Author(s)
Savary R., Dufresnes C., Champigneulle A., Caudron A., Dubey S., Perrin N., Fumagalli L.
ISSN
2045-7758 (Print)
ISSN-L
2045-7758
Publication state
Published
Issued date
2017
Peer-reviewed
Oui
Volume
7
Number
14
Pages
5201-5211
Language
english
Abstract
Artificial stocking practices are widely used by resource managers worldwide, in order to sustain fish populations exploited by both recreational and commercial activities, but their benefits are controversial. Former practices involved exotic strains, although current programs rather consider artificial breeding of local fishes (supportive breeding). Understanding the complex genetic effects of these management strategies is an important challenge with economic and conservation implications, especially in the context of population declines. In this study, we focus on the declining Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) population from Lake Geneva (Switzerland and France), which has initially been restocked with allochtonous fishes in the early eighties, followed by supportive breeding. In this context, we conducted a genetic survey to document the evolution of the genetic diversity and structure throughout the last 50 years, before and after the initiation of hatchery supplementation, using contemporary and historical samples. We show that the introduction of exotic fishes was associated with a genetic bottleneck in the 1980-1990s, a break of Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (HWE), a reduction in genetic diversity, an increase in genetic structure among spawning sites, and a change in their genetic composition. Together with better environmental conditions, three decades of subsequent supportive breeding using local fishes allowed to re-establish HWE and the initial levels of genetic variation. However, current spawning sites have not fully recovered their original genetic composition and were extensively homogenized across the lake. Our study demonstrates the drastic genetic consequences of different restocking tactics in a comprehensive spatiotemporal framework and suggests that genetic alteration by nonlocal stocking may be partly reversible through supportive breeding. We recommend that conservation-based programs consider local diversity and implement adequate protocols to limit the genetic homogenization of this Arctic charr population.

Keywords
Salmonids, Salvelinus, conservation‐based stocking programs, fisheries management, genetic bottleneck, genetic integrity, historical DNA, microsatellites
Pubmed
Web of science
Open Access
Yes
Create date
27/04/2017 15:24
Last modification date
20/08/2019 17:07
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