Adult distribution and the effects of dispersal and genetic drift on population genetic structure of resident rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Babine Lake, British Columbia.

• Main Author: Koehler, Rachel Anne
• Format: Master Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: University of Windsor 2010
• Subjects: Health and environmental sciences; Biological sciences; Babine Lake; First Nations
• Online Access: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/7986; https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/context/etd/article/9011/viewcontent/Koehler_Adult_distribution_and_the_eff.pdf

Resident rainbow trout in Babine Lake, British Columbia are the focus of regionally important recreational and First Nations food fisheries. This study investigates the roles of dispersal and random genetic drift on lake-wide population genetic structure and non-random distribution of adults. Using thirteen microsatellite loci, I found strong divergence between tributary populations and parr and fry life-stages within tributaries. I found that juvenile dispersal did not greatly affect the divergence between parr and fry groups, but that random genetic drift due to low effective population size was the likely cause of divergence between parr and fry. Adult distribution in the lake was non-random and may have been driven by habitat partitioning. This study demonstrates that high genetic divergence between life-stages, random genetic drift, and non-random distribution of fish are critical factors that should be considered when evaluating evolutionary processes and considering management options.