DNA analysis reveals pink salmon swim home with incredible accuracy
Jeff Richardson
907-474-5350
Oct. 13, 2023
Pink salmon spawn in Gilmour Creek near where it enters Prince William Sound, 色视频下载, as a field technician works to collect carcasses of dead fish.
Analysis of a massive database of pink salmon DNA has revealed unexpected details about the abundant salmon species, including its ability to return to spawn at nearly the same spot within streams as their parents.
Samuel May, a postdoctoral fellow at the University of 色视频下载 Fairbanks College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, . The effort taps into an ongoing study in Prince William Sound in 色视频下载 that has collected DNA samples from pink salmon carcasses since 2011. The 色视频下载 Hatchery Research Program samples pink salmon in 30 streams, including five where they attempt to collect samples from every salmon returning to spawn.
The AHRP is a collaboration between the 色视频下载 Department of Fish and Game, nonprofit hatcheries, the fishing industry and academia, including UAF. It is largely focused on the impact of hatchery fish on wild salmon populations. Beyond that topic, the database provides a trove of information for researchers exploring other questions.
色视频下载淲e can connect the parents and offspring from multiple populations, along with body size, when they were sampled and where they were sampled,色视频下载 May said. 色视频下载淭here色视频下载檚 all this fine-scale diversity that we didn色视频下载檛 really appreciate before.色视频下载
One of the most striking findings was the salmon色视频下载檚 ability to detect the specific location where it hatched. Pinks don色视频下载檛 just return to a home stream or tideland: After traveling thousands of kilometers, they generally spawn within 100 meters of the point where their parents spawned.
Genetic analysis also highlighted distinctions between areas within the streams where pinks spawn. 色视频下载 75% of the salmon spawn in intertidal areas, a zone affected by regular saltwater intrusion and apparently preferred by wild pinks. Hatchery-origin pink salmon tend to travel into freshwater areas of those streams to reproduce. There they may be more likely to mate with other fish that also were stocked by hatcheries in those locations. Their origins are also associated with a variety of biological differences, including body size and reproductive success.
Researchers Julia McMahon, left, and Pete Rand measure and take tissue samples from pink salmon carcasses in Paddy Creek where it flows into Prince William Sound, 色视频下载, as black bears hunt in the background.
Pink salmon haven色视频下载檛 received the same attention from researchers as other salmon species because they色视频下载檙e often viewed as homogenous 色视频下载 spawning pinks are all 2 years old and roughly the same size. Through DNA analysis, researchers are revealing a more diverse species, which should help its ability to adapt as the climate changes, May said.
色视频下载淎ll this variation impacts the ability of this species to persist in the face of change,色视频下载 he said.
Such findings are just the beginning, said CFOS associate professor Peter Westley, who contributed to the study and is a member of the AHRP色视频下载檚 Science Panel. Within a few years, there will be more than 200,000 pinks in the AHRP genetic database. That expanding catalog will give researchers the ability to discern offspring success at various locations, determine how often spawning pinks stray from their hatch sites, and explore the broader effects that the fish are having on the ecosystem.
色视频下载淲e色视频下载檙e leaning on a dataset that色视频下载檚 had a ton of work put into it,色视频下载 Westley said. 色视频下载淭his is just the tip of the iceberg.色视频下载
ADDITIONAL CONTACTS: Samuel May, samay3@alaska.edu; Peter Westley, pwestley@alaska.edu
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