Differences in growth and condition of juvenile Oncorhynchus mykiss related to sex and a migration-associated genomic region

Abstract

The expression of anadromy in partially migratory salmonid populations is influenced by sex-specific interactions among an individual’s genotype, condition, and environment, but genotype–phenotype relationships prior to the expression of migratory type are poorly understood. We examined whether juvenile growth and condition differed with respect to sex and a migration-associated genomic region (Omy05) in a coastal California population of steelhead and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Sex and Omy05 genotype had additive effects on annual growth from age 0+ to age 1+ (∼6–18 months old), with higher growth in males and individuals with copies of the rearranged–resident haplotype. Condition at age 1+ increased with the number of copies of the rearranged–resident haplotype, with similar support for additive or interactive effects with sex; additive effects suggested that genotype differences occurred in both sexes and also that condition was slightly higher in males, while interactive effects suggested that the genotype differences occurred only in males. Our results indicate that phenotypic differences related to sex and Omy05 genotype occur well in advance of anadromous migration or freshwater maturation in this southern O. mykiss population.