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. 2022 Apr 25;12(4):e8846.
doi: 10.1002/ece3.8846. eCollection 2022 Apr.

Single-parentage assignments reveal negative-assortative mating in an endangered salmonid

Craig A Steele  1 , Thomas A Delomas  1   2 , Matthew R Campbell  3 , John H Powell  4
Affiliations

Single-parentage assignments reveal negative-assortative mating in an endangered salmonid

Craig A Steele et al. Ecol Evol. .

Abstract

Understanding reproductive patterns in endangered species is critical for supporting their recovery efforts. In this study we use a combination of paired-parent and single-parent assignments to examine the reproductive patterns in an endangered population of sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) that uses Redfish Lake in central Idaho as a spawning and nursery lake. Recovery efforts include the release of maturing adults into the lake for volitional spawning. The lake is also inhabited by a population of resident O. nerka that is genetically indistinguishable, but phenotypically smaller, to the maturing adults released into the lake. The resident population is difficult to sample and the reproductive patterns between the two groups are unknown. We used results of paired- and single-parentage assignments to specifically examine the reproductive patterns of male fish released into the lake under an equal sex ratio and a male-biased sex ratio. Assignment results of offspring leaving the lake indicated a reproductive shift by males under the two scenarios. Males displayed an assortative mating pattern under an equal sex ratio and spawned almost exclusively with the released females. Under a male-biased sex ratio most males shifted to a negative-assortative mating pattern and spawned with smaller females from the resident population. These males were younger and smaller than males that spawned with released females suggesting they were unable to compete with larger males for spawning opportunities with the larger, released females. The results provided insights into the reproductive behavior of this endangered population and has implications for recovery efforts.

Keywords: mating behavior; parentage assignment; sockeye.

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Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Simulated single‐parentage error rates for the SY2013 and SY2014 parental collections. Error rates for each of four levels of relatedness with the true parent are presented. Note difference in scale of y axes. Each point represents a corresponding LLR value, ranging from 0 to 20, associated with potential single parentage assignments. Arrows indicate assignment thresholds selected (LLR of 20 for SY2013 and 19 for SY2014) that allow for an acceptable per‐comparison false positive rate and overall false negative rates for each parental dataset
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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