Sarah J.  Salisbury: Evolutionary insights from sympatric salmonid morphs
Channel: Fishbase Sweden
Date: 08/11/2022

Sarah J.  Salisbury, Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, UK, gave a lecture on "Evolutionary insights from sympatric salmonid morphs" at FishBase Symposium 2022 in Stockholm, Sweden, October 17 2022.

ABSTRACT: Sure salmonids are tasty and fun to catch, and of course culturally and economically important to many communities around the world, but in comparison to the kaleidoscope of colours displayed by tropical reef fishes, aren’t they a bit dull? Upon closer examination however, the stunning degree of within-species trait variation found in salmonids reveals them to be some of the most variable vertebrates on the planet. This variation can occur in the form of “morphs” that differ strikingly in their appearance and behaviour yet frequently occur in the same (sometimes exceedingly small) lake. 

Because these co-occurring (sympatric) morphs have independently evolved multiple times over a short evolutionary period, they can be thought of as natural replicates of evolution. These morphs therefore offer a powerful model for investigating fundamental evolutionary processes relevant across the tree of life including incipient phenotypic differentiation and reproductive isolation. 

In this talk, I will provide an overview of the literature on the genetic underpinnings of sympatric morph differentiation within salmonids, presenting case studies from multiple species including my work on Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) in Labrador, Canada. My particular focus will be on the influences of historical secondary contact events and the multiple potential molecular mechanistic levels underlying consistent sympatric morph differentiation. By the end of my talk, I hope to convince you that salmonids have enormous potential to help us uncover the genomic mechanisms of speciation.