Life history genomic regions explain differences in Atlantic salmon marine diet specialization

• Published in: Journal of Animal Ecology
• Main Authors: Aykanat, Tutku, Rasmussen, Martin, Ozerov, Mikhail, Niemelä, Eero, Paulin, Lars, Vähä, Juha-Pekka, Hindar, Kjetil, Wennevik, Vidar, Pedersen, Torstein, Svenning, Martin, Primmer, Craig R.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2020
• Subjects: VDP::Mathematics and natural science: 400::Zoology and botany: 480::Marine biology: 497; VDP::Matematikk og Naturvitenskap: 400::Zoologiske og botaniske fag: 480::Marinbiologi: 497; Niemelä; Rasmussen; Atlantic salmon
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10037/19530; https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13324

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Aykanat, T., Rasmussen, M., Ozerov, M., Niemelä, E., Paulin, L., Vähä, J.-P., .Primmer, C. R. (2020). Life‐history genomic regions explain differences in Atlantic salmon marine diet specialization. Journal of Animal Ecology, ? (?), 1-15., which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13324 . This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. 1. Animals employ various foraging strategies along their ontogeny to acquire energy, and with varying degree of efficiencies, to support growth, maturation and subsequent reproduction events. Individuals that can efficiently acquire energy early are more likely to mature at an earlier age, as a result of faster energy gain which can fuel maturation and reproduction. 2. We aimed to test the hypothesis that heritable resource acquisition variation that covaries with efficiency along the ontogeny would influence maturation timing of individuals. 3. To test this hypothesis, we utilized Atlantic salmon as a model which exhibits a simple, hence trackable, genetic control of maturation age. We then monitored the variation in diet acquisition (quantified as stomach fullness and composition) of individuals with different ages, and linked it with genomic regions (haploblocks) that were previously identified to be associated with age‐at‐maturity. 4. Consistent with the hypothesis, we demonstrated that one of the life‐history genomic regions tested ( six6 ) was indeed associated with age‐dependent differences in stomach fullness. Prey composition was marginally linked to six6 , and suggestively (but non‐significantly) to vgll3 genomic regions. We further showed Atlantic salmon switched to the so‐called ‘feast and famine’ strategy along the ontogeny, where older age groups exhibited heavier stomach content, but that came at the expense of running on empty more often. 5. These results suggest genetic variation ...