Genotyping of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) by pantophysin I marker (Pan I)

• Main Author: Withelm, Caroline
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Arctic cod; atlantic cod; Barents Sea; Climate change; Gadus morhua; Lofoten; Northeast Arctic cod; Svalbard
• Online Access: https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/57260/; https://epic.awi.de/id/eprint/57260/1/CarolineWithelm_BSc_20221004.pdf; https://hdl.handle.net/10013/epic.bea873bf-f82f-40b1-b8bf-72c89f7750e5

Due to climate change, the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. This leads to a northward expansion of species from the Atlantic to the Arctic. As a result, the species composition in the Arctic is changing. The Northeast Arctic cod (NEAC) is the most abundant cod population, with a distribution area in the Barents Sea and also in Svalbard. However, NEAC can also be found along the coast of Norway. There the NEAC spawns in the Lofoten region with the Norwegian Coastal cod (NCC), which in turn occurs along the Norwegian coast and in fjords. The offspring is drifted to Svalbard by the prevailing currents. The aim of this work was to investigate the composition of the cod population in Svalbard and whether a local coastal population has formed in Svalbard. For this purpose, the Pantophysin I locus (Pan I) was used to investigate to which ecotype of cod the caught animals from expeditions between August and October in 2018 and 2020 could be assigned. The analysis of Pan I in the caught cod shows that NCC inhabits both coastal and fjord areas in Svalbard. The discovery of NCC in Svalbard is an indication that due to climate change a coastal population may become established in Svalbard, with effects on the prevailing ecosystem in Svalbard.