Unlocking the wild potential : integration of geographic differentiation in domestication processes to facilitate fish aquaculture diversification

• Main Author: Toomey, Lola
• Other Authors: Unité de Recherches Animal et Fonctionnalités des Produits Animaux (URAFPA), Université de Lorraine (UL)-Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement (INRAE), Université de Lorraine, Pascal Fontaine, Thomas Lecocq
• Format: Doctoral or Postdoctoral Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2020
• Subjects: Intraspecific; Domestication; Aquaculture; Potential; Multi-trait; Sustainability; Intraspécifique; Potentiel; Durabilité; [SDV.SA.SPA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences/Animal production studies; Fennoscandia
• Online Access: https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/tel-02929307; https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/tel-02929307/document; https://hal.univ-lorraine.fr/tel-02929307/file/DDOC_T_2020_0034_TOOMEY.pdf

Nowadays, there is a will to develop a more sustainable aquaculture. One of the ways supported to promote the sustainability of the aquaculture sector relies on the production diversification, notably through the domestication and production of new species. However, domestication is a long and difficult process which can fail due to technical challenges, socio-economic limitations, or inadequate biological features of the species of interest. Yet, some of these biological features can also vary at the intraspecific level, between allopatric populations. Indeed, geographic differentiation can shape genetic, phenotypic, and ecologic specificities, which could lead to unique domestication predisposition or socio-economic attractiveness among allopatric populations. Therefore, choosing wild populations exhibiting a high potential for aquaculture (i.e. presenting interesting expression of key traits) could facilitate the domestication and production of new species. This PhD work was aimed at (i) assessing if geographic differentiation could be useful in domestication/production of a targeted species and (ii) developing and applying an integrative method to integrate geographic differentiation in domestication programs. The approach developed was tested on a species of interest for inland aquaculture diversification, the European perch (Perca fluviatilis), and targeted first life stages. The method consists of three steps: (i) classifying wild populations into prospective units (i.e. groups of populations differentiated) which are likely divergent for key traits in aquaculture, (ii) evaluating the performance of the different prospective units in standardized culture conditions through a multi-function and multi-trait approach, and (iii) identifying the prospective unit with the highest potential for aquaculture. The first step allowed identifying five prospective units: the European Plain, Danube, Northern and Eastern Fennoscandia, Eastern Europe, and the Balkans units. The second step highlighted a geographic ...