Date of Award
2010
Publication Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
M.Sc.
Department
Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research
Keywords
Biology, Oceanography.
Supervisor
Heath, Daniel D.(Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research)
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Captive breeding is essential for salmon aquaculture and stock enhancement programs, but may lead to genetic bottlenecks, inbreeding, and domestication selection. To evaluate the potential for incorporating mate choice into commercial and conservation salmon breeding programs, I measured the effects of mate choice on offspring phenotype. Semi-natural spawning channels were used to compare mate-choice and randomly mated (hatchery) fish for performance and morphological traits. Channel-spawned fish were out-performed by their hatchery counterparts in survival and body size; genetic and environmental effects contributed to these differences. However, channel-spawned fish had significantly more additive genetic variance for performance traits. Gene transcription of hatchery-bred and channel-spawned fish were compared using microarray analysis after a temperature stress. Few genes showed differential expression; however, overall transcriptional variance was lower in the channel-spawned fish. Mate choice should be included in rearing programs to increase the viability and adaptive potential of captive fish.
Recommended Citation
Bortoluzzi, Romina, "The Effect of Mate Choice on Offspring Phenotype and Performance in Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha)" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 361.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/361