Fast and cost-efficient species identification of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.), brown trout (Salmo trutta), and their hybrids using a single SNP marker

• Main Authors: Aykanat, Tutku, Balatsou, Athina, Kähkönen, Kirsi, Syrjänen, Jukka T., Janhunen, Matti, Leinonen, Tuomas, Prokkola, Jenni M., Norrgard, Johnny R., Piccolo, John J.
• Other Authors: Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Evolution, Conservation, and Genomics
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley Blackwell 2024
• Subjects: KASP SNP-assays; Conservation genetics; Diagnostic locus; Hybridization; Species identification; Ecology; evolutionary biology; Atlantic salmon; Salmo salar
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10138/589710

A workflow for developing a cost- and time-efficient, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based assay for species and hybrid identification is described. In a reference set (n = 46), the developed assay identified individuals of two closely related species, the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L., n = 23) and brown trout (Salmo trutta, n = 23), with 100% accuracy. Furthermore, species and hybrid identification using field-collected embryos had 98.1% concordance (155/158) to more expensive and time-consuming methods that utilized multiple SNP markers. The method can be integrated into management and conservation plans to quantify species' spawning distribution and hybridization rates. Peer reviewed