Conservation Genetics of Lake Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>): Nuclear Phylogeography Drives Contemporary Patterns of Genetic Structure and Diversity
Sustainable management of exploited and endangered species is facilitated by knowledge of their geographic genetic structure. Lake sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>) epitomizes both categories, but genetic information has largely been limited to the Laurentian Great Lakes basin. We a...
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MDPI AG
2023-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/385 |
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| author | Shawna L. Kjartanson Tim Haxton Kristyne Wozney Nathan R. Lovejoy Chris C. Wilson |
| author_facet | Shawna L. Kjartanson Tim Haxton Kristyne Wozney Nathan R. Lovejoy Chris C. Wilson |
| author_sort | Shawna L. Kjartanson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Sustainable management of exploited and endangered species is facilitated by knowledge of their geographic genetic structure. Lake sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>) epitomizes both categories, but genetic information has largely been limited to the Laurentian Great Lakes basin. We assessed the hierarchical geographic genetic structure of lake sturgeon across their Canadian range using a variation at 14 microsatellite loci. Observed patterns showed evidence of two ancestral groups which originated from Mississippian and Missourian glacial refugia. Coalescent analysis indicates the two lineages most recently shared common ancestry during the late Pleistocene and were likely isolated by the late Wisconsinan ice advance, with subsequent interpopulation divergences within each lineage reflecting their reciprocal isolation as glacial meltwaters receded. Hierarchical patterns of genetic relationships among contemporary populations largely reflect colonization histories and connections within primary and secondary watersheds. Populations in western Canada showed strong similarities based on their shared Missourian origins and colonization from glacial Lake Agassiz. By contrast, populations in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River drainage were largely founded from a Mississippian source. Sturgeon populations in northern parts of Ontario and Quebec showed evidence of mixed ancestry from secondary contact between the two refugial groups through Holocene meltwater lakes. Within major watersheds, the strong similarity among geographically separate populations reflects their shared ancestry during postglacial colonization. The general lack of structure within major river systems highlights historically continuous habitat (connectivity) and gene flow rather than contemporary barriers (dams). These data highlight the importance of Quaternary and prehistoric events on patterns of genetic diversity and divergence within and among contemporary populations, as well as the importance of these populations for conserving the species’ evolutionary legacy. |
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| issn | 1424-2818 |
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| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T06:40:29Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
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| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-0bc26fe312c14477b9de378d4ce897c62023-11-17T10:37:54ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182023-03-0115338510.3390/d15030385Conservation Genetics of Lake Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>): Nuclear Phylogeography Drives Contemporary Patterns of Genetic Structure and DiversityShawna L. Kjartanson0Tim Haxton1Kristyne Wozney2Nathan R. Lovejoy3Chris C. Wilson4Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, CanadaAquatic Research and Development Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, ON K9L 1Z8, CanadaAquatic Research and Development Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, ON K9L 1Z8, CanadaDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, 1265 Military Trail, Toronto, ON M1C 1A4, CanadaAquatic Research and Development Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry, Peterborough, ON K9L 1Z8, CanadaSustainable management of exploited and endangered species is facilitated by knowledge of their geographic genetic structure. Lake sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>) epitomizes both categories, but genetic information has largely been limited to the Laurentian Great Lakes basin. We assessed the hierarchical geographic genetic structure of lake sturgeon across their Canadian range using a variation at 14 microsatellite loci. Observed patterns showed evidence of two ancestral groups which originated from Mississippian and Missourian glacial refugia. Coalescent analysis indicates the two lineages most recently shared common ancestry during the late Pleistocene and were likely isolated by the late Wisconsinan ice advance, with subsequent interpopulation divergences within each lineage reflecting their reciprocal isolation as glacial meltwaters receded. Hierarchical patterns of genetic relationships among contemporary populations largely reflect colonization histories and connections within primary and secondary watersheds. Populations in western Canada showed strong similarities based on their shared Missourian origins and colonization from glacial Lake Agassiz. By contrast, populations in the Great Lakes–St. Lawrence River drainage were largely founded from a Mississippian source. Sturgeon populations in northern parts of Ontario and Quebec showed evidence of mixed ancestry from secondary contact between the two refugial groups through Holocene meltwater lakes. Within major watersheds, the strong similarity among geographically separate populations reflects their shared ancestry during postglacial colonization. The general lack of structure within major river systems highlights historically continuous habitat (connectivity) and gene flow rather than contemporary barriers (dams). These data highlight the importance of Quaternary and prehistoric events on patterns of genetic diversity and divergence within and among contemporary populations, as well as the importance of these populations for conserving the species’ evolutionary legacy.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/385lake sturgeonphylogeographygenetic diversitymicrosatellite DNA |
| spellingShingle | Shawna L. Kjartanson Tim Haxton Kristyne Wozney Nathan R. Lovejoy Chris C. Wilson Conservation Genetics of Lake Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>): Nuclear Phylogeography Drives Contemporary Patterns of Genetic Structure and Diversity Diversity lake sturgeon phylogeography genetic diversity microsatellite DNA |
| title | Conservation Genetics of Lake Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>): Nuclear Phylogeography Drives Contemporary Patterns of Genetic Structure and Diversity |
| title_full | Conservation Genetics of Lake Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>): Nuclear Phylogeography Drives Contemporary Patterns of Genetic Structure and Diversity |
| title_fullStr | Conservation Genetics of Lake Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>): Nuclear Phylogeography Drives Contemporary Patterns of Genetic Structure and Diversity |
| title_full_unstemmed | Conservation Genetics of Lake Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>): Nuclear Phylogeography Drives Contemporary Patterns of Genetic Structure and Diversity |
| title_short | Conservation Genetics of Lake Sturgeon (<i>Acipenser fulvescens</i>): Nuclear Phylogeography Drives Contemporary Patterns of Genetic Structure and Diversity |
| title_sort | conservation genetics of lake sturgeon i acipenser fulvescens i nuclear phylogeography drives contemporary patterns of genetic structure and diversity |
| topic | lake sturgeon phylogeography genetic diversity microsatellite DNA |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/3/385 |
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