Novel biodiversity baselines outpace models of fish distribution in Arctic waters.

During a recent marine biological expedition to the Northeast Greenland shelf break (latitudes 74-77 °N), we made the first discovery of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), beaked redfish (Sebastes mentella) and capelin (Mallotus villosus). Our novel observations shift the distribution range of Atlantic cod >1000 km further north in East Greenland waters. In light of climate change, we discuss physical forcing and putative connections between the faunas of the Northeast Greenland shelf and the Barents Sea.

Evolutionary history and adaptive significance of the polymorphic Pan I in migratory and stationary populations of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua).

The synaptophysin (SYP) family comprises integral membrane proteins involved in vesicle-trafficking events, but the physiological function of several members has been enigmatic for decades. The presynaptic SYP protein controls neurotransmitter release, while SYP-like 2 (SYPL2) contributes to maintain normal Ca(2+)-signaling in the skeletal muscles. The polymorphic pantophysin (Pan I) of Atlantic cod shows strong genetic divergence between stationary and migratory populations, which seem to be adapted to local environmental conditions.

Speciation reversal in European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus (L.)) caused by competitor invasion.

Invasion of exotic species has caused the loss of biodiversity and imparts evolutionary and ecological changes in the introduced systems. In northern Fennoscandia, European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus (L.)) is a highly polymorphic species displaying adaptive radiations into partially reproductively isolated and thus genetically differentiated sympatric morphs utilizing the planktivorous and benthivorous food niche in many lakes.

Ecological speciation in postglacial European whitefish: rapid adaptive radiations into the littoral, pelagic, and profundal lake habitats.

Understanding how a monophyletic lineage of a species diverges into several adaptive forms has received increased attention in recent years, but the underlying mechanisms in this process are still under debate. Postglacial fishes are excellent model organisms for exploring this process, especially the initial stages of ecological speciation, as postglacial lakes represent replicated discrete environments with variation in available niches. Here, we combine data of niche utilization, trophic morphology, and 17 microsatellite loci to investigate the diversification process of three sympatric European whitefish morphs from three northern Fennoscandian lakes.

Protein genes in repetitive sequence-antifreeze glycoproteins in Atlantic cod genome.

Background: Highly repetitive sequences are the bane of genome sequence assembly, and the short read lengths produced by current next generation sequencing technologies further exacerbates this obstacle. An adopted practice is to exclude repetitive sequences in genome data assembly, as the majority of repeats lack protein-coding genes. However, this could result in the exclusion of important genotypes in newly sequenced non-model species.

Identification and characterisation of novel SNP markers in Atlantic cod: evidence for directional selection.

Background: The Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) is a groundfish of great economic value in fisheries and an emerging species in aquaculture. Genetic markers are needed to identify wild stocks in order to ensure sustainable management, and for marker-assisted selection and pedigree determination in aquaculture. Here, we report on the development and evaluation of a large number of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) markers from the alignment of Expressed Sequence Tag (EST) sequences in Atlantic cod.

A mitogenomic approach to the taxonomy of pollocks: Theragra chalcogramma and T. finnmarchica represent one single species.

Background: The walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) and Norwegian pollock (T. finnmarchica) are confined to the North Pacific and North Atlantic Oceans, respectively, and considered as distinct species within the family Gadidae. We have determined the complete mtDNA nucleotide sequence of two specimens of Norwegian pollock and compared the sequences to that of 10 specimens of walleye pollock representing stocks from the Sea of Japan and the Bering Sea, 2 specimens of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua), and 2 specimens of haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus).

Natural selection and the genetic differentiation of coastal and Arctic populations of the Atlantic cod in northern Norway: a test involving nucleotide sequence variation at the pantophysin (PanI) locus.

To examine the role of contemporary selection in maintaining significant allele frequency differences at the pantophysin (PanI) locus among populations of the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, in northern Norway, we sequenced 127 PanIA alleles sampled from six coastal and two Barents Sea populations. The distributions of variable sites segregating within the PanIA allelic class were then compared among the populations. Significant differences were detected in the overall frequencies of PanIA alleles among populations within coastal and Arctic regions that was similar in magnitude to heterogeneity in the distributions of polymorphic sites segregating within the PanIA allelic class.

DNA HETEROZYGOSITY AND GROWTH RATE IN THE ATLANTIC COD GADUS MORHUA (L).

Relationships between growth rate and the degree of individual heterozygosity at ten nuclear RFLP loci were examined in two populations of the Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, from northern Norway. A highly significant positive correlation was observed between growth rate and DNA heterozygosity in one population (Balsfjord) but not in the other (Barents Sea). Our results provide support for an important prediction of the associative overdominance hypothesis that heterozygosity-fitness correlations can be detected at neutral genetic markers and suggest that environmental conditions might play a dominant role in the manifestation of the correlation.