Introgression and fixation of Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) mitochondrial genome in an allopatric population of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis)

Abstract

Although mitochondrial introgression between taxa has been increasingly documented, interspecific replacement of mtDNA is rare, particularly when the donor species is absent. We document evidence for a population of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in which all individuals possess the mitochondrial genome of Arctic char (S. alpinus) despite the present-day absence of the latter species in the watershed where the population is located. The mitochondrial genotype of 48 brook trout from Lake Alain (Québec) was characterized by RFLP analysis performed over the entire mtDNA molecule and/or a 2.5-kb PCR-amplified segment of the ND-5/6 region. Although the fish examined were morphologically indistinguishable from typical brook trout and homozygous for the diagnostic alleles characteristic of brook trout, the mtDNA of all individuals was identical to the Québec Arctic char haplotype. Together, these results indicate that the mtDNA haplotype observed in Lake Alain brook trout has resulted from ancient introgression with Arctic char rather than ancestral polymorphism or convergent evolution. They also demonstrate that introgressive hybridization between those two species can have significant and long-term effects on their genetic composition.