The genome of a landlocked Atlantic salmon Salmo salar characterized through high-throughput sequencing

H. Hauge,

T. Tengs,

M. K. Dahle,

A. B. Kristoffersen,

S. Grove,

C. R. Wiik-Nielsen

Published: Oct. 31, 2016

A wide range of life-history tactics can be found within salmonid fish. The genetic basis for these adaptations remains largely unknown, but we have sought to investigate any large scale genetic changes associated with a non-anadromous life cycle. After the most recent ice age (approximately 9,500 years ago), some populations of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L., were trapped in fresh water and developed into isolated landlocked populations that managed to complete a full life cycle without ever reaching the marine environment. To explore whether this transition was accompanied by gene-loss events, high-throughput sequencing of a non-migratory Namsblank (‘småblank’), an Atlantic …