Research
Activities
| Biology Department, Laval University, Quebec, Canada. |
| Contact person (name and e-mail): |
| Persons working on brown trout
population genetics: |
| General research topics of the
laboratory: |
| Genetic population structure, conservation and
management, phylogeography, reproduction biology, quantitative genetics and gene mapping. |
| General description of research on
brown trout population genetics: |
| My general interest in research on brown trout is
essentially summarized in Study 1. The phylogeographic pattern of the brown trout complex
will be compared to that of other north temperate species complexes (such as Coregonus
lavaretus/clupeaformis, Salvelinus alpinus/malma) in order
to develop a general scenario for the origin and evolution of this group of organisms. |
| List of projects (brown trout) for
the past 3 years: |
 Study #1 |
| Researcher: |
Louis Bernatchez |
| Collaborators: |
Dr. A. Ferguson, Dr. A. Osinov, Dr. P. Berrebi, Dr. R.
Guyomard |
| Source of project
funding: |
NSERC, Canada. |
| Topic: |
Phylogeography. |
| Objective: |
Document a detailed, phylogeographic pattern of the brown trout
species complex throughout its natural distribution range in order to understand the
evolutionary history of natural populations. |
| Design: |
The sampling design is organized to specifically address broad scale
phylogeographic patterns. This means that the number of sampling sites, rather than number
of individuals per site is maximized. To date, data have been gatherted for approximately
175 populations covering the whole natural species complex range. For the majority of
sites, the specimens have first been genotyped by a PCR-RFLP analysis of the ND56,
cytochrome b, D-loop regions (approximately 4.6 kilobases) using a set of six restriction
enzymes selected from a subset of 19, and that are particularly suited to distinguish the
five major mitochondrial DNA lineages previously defined. These are also sufficiently
polymorphic on the studied mtDNA segments to assess diversity within the different
evolutionary groups. Sequence information is then added for one to several representatives
of each RFLP mtDNA genetypes because it is obviously much more easily standardised among
laboratories. |
| Methodology: |
mtDNA sequencing, mtDNA RFLP. |
| Trout population: |
Resident population, anadroumous population, potamodromous. |
| Origin of samples: |
Atlantic Basin (North Sea, Baltic Sea), Black Sea Basin, Caspian Sea
Basin, Mediterranean Sea Basin, all Eurasian and North African species complex range. |
| Status: |
Started in 1990, planning to finish in 1999 (it is a never ending
story…) |
Publications (brown trout genetics)
 Journal
papers:
- Bernatchez, L. (1995). A role for Molecular systematics in defining evolutionary
significant units (ESU) in fishes. P. 114-132 in J. L. Nielsen, editor. Evolution and the
aquatic ecosystem: defining unique units in population conservation. Am. Fish. Soc.
Symp., 17, Bethesda, Maryland.
- Bernatchez, L. & Osinov, A. (1995). Genetic diversity of trout (genus Salmo)
from its most eastern native range based on mitochondrial DNA and nuclear gene variation. Mol.
Ecol., 4, 285-297.
- Bernatchez, L. & Wilson, C. C. (1998). Comparative phylogeography of nearctic and
palearctic freshwater fishes. Mol. Ecol., 7, 431-452.
- Bernatchez, L., Guyomard, R. & Bonhomme, F. (1992). DNA sequence variation of the
mitochondrial control region among morphologically and geographically remote European
brown trout Salmo trutta populations. Mol. Ecol., 1, 161-173.
- Giuffra, E., Bernatchez, L. & Guyomard, R. (1994). Mitochondrial control region and
protein coding genes sequence variation among phenotypic forms of brown trout, Salmo
trutta L., from Northern Italy. Mol. Ecol., 3, 161-171.
- Osinov, A. & Bernatchez, L. (1996). Atlantic and Danubean phylogenetic groupings of
brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) complex: genetic divergence, evolution, and
conservation. J. Ichthyol., 36, 762-786.
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