A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Food Quality and Life‐History Genotype Influence Maturation and Reproductive Traits in Female Atlantic Salmon
Authors: Maamela, Katja Susanna; Asheim, Eirik Ryvoll; O'Sullivan, Ronan James; Debes, Paul Vincent; House, Andrew Herbert; Liljestrom, Petra; Prokkola, Jenni Maria; Niemela, Petri Toivo; Erkinaro, Jaakko; Mobley, Kenyon Brice; Primmer, Craig Robert
Publisher: Wiley
Publishing place: HOBOKEN
Publication year: 2025
Journal: Molecular Ecology
Journal name in source: Molecular Ecology
Journal acronym: MOL ECOL
Article number: e17735
Volume: 34
Issue: 8
Number of pages: 15
ISSN: 0962-1083
eISSN: 1365-294X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17735
Web address : https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.17735
Age at maturity is an important life-history trait, often showing sex-specific variation, contributing to life-history diversity in many species. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are an excellent model system to investigate genetic and environmental factors affecting sex-specific maturation, yet few laboratory studies have focused on females as they mature later than males, on average. Using a 4-year common-garden experiment of Atlantic salmon, we assessed the influence of diet (low-fat vs. control) and vgll3 (a candidate gene influencing maturation age) on maturation and related phenotypic traits of female Atlantic salmon derived from two second-generation hatchery populations. We found the early-maturation associated E allele to be additively associated with a higher probability of maturation. Heritability of maturation was estimated to be 0.295, with vgll3's contribution to phenotypic variance being similar to 2%. In addition, body condition measured in the spring prior to spawning influenced maturation. Body condition, in turn, was influenced by population and diet. The more northern Oulu population and the low-fat diet were associated with lower body condition compared to the more southern Neva population and the control diet. Moreover, there was an interaction between population and diet on body condition, suggesting that populations may respond differently to nutrient availability. These results broaden our understanding of the processes underlying sex- and population-specific maturation and demonstrate that genes and environment influence age at maturity in a species that displays sex-specific variation in maturation.
Funding information in the publication:
This study was provided by the Research Council of Finland (to CRP: grant numbers 314254, 314255, 327255 and 342851; to RJO'S: grant number 352727), the University of Helsinki (to CRP), and the European Research Council under the European Articles Union's Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe research and innovation programmes (to CRP: grant numbers 742312 and 101054307). KSM received funding from Societas pro Fauna et Flora Fennica, the OLVI foundation, and the Finnish Cultural Foundation (grant numbers 00230773 and 00242457). Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Research Council Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
