| Summary: | Knowledge of the relative importance of genetic versus environmental determinants of major developmental transitions is pertinent to understanding phenotypic evolution. In salmonid fishes, a major developmental transition enables a risky seaward migration that provides access to feed resources. In Atlantic salmon, initiation of the migrant phenotype, and thus age of migrants, is presumably controlled via thresholds of a quantitative liability, approximated by body size expressed long before the migration. However, how well size approximates liability, both genetically and environmentally, remains uncertain. We studied 32 Atlantic salmon families in two temperatures and feeding regimes (fully fed, temporarily restricted) to completion of migration status at age 1 year. We detected a lower migrant probability in the cold (0.42) than the warm environment (0.76), but no effects of male maturation status or feed restriction. By contrast, body length in late summer predicted migrant probability and its control reduced migrant probability heritability by 50–70%. Furthermore, migrant probability and length showed high heritabilities and between-environment genetic correlations, and were phenotypically highly correlated with stronger genetic than environmental contributions. Altogether, quantitative estimates for the genetic and environmental effects predicting the migrant phenotype indicate, for a given temperature, a larger importance of genetic than environmental size effects. Data from fish that died during the study were removed. Funding provided by: H2020 European Research Council Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010663 Award Number: 742312 Funding provided by: Academy of Finland Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002341 Award Number: 284941 Funding provided by: Academy of Finland Crossref Funder Registry ID: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100002341 Award Number: 286334 Funding provided by: Academy of Finland Crossref Funder Registry ID: ...
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