Multidisciplinary population monitoring when demographic data are sparse: a case study of remote trout populations.
The potential of genetic, genomic, and phenotypic metrics for monitoring population trends may be especially high in isolated regions, where traditional demographic monitoring is logistically difficult and only sporadic sampling is possible. This potential, however, is relatively underexplored empirically. Over eleven years, we assessed several such metrics along with traditional ecological knowledge and catch data in a socioeconomically important trout species occupying a large, remote lake. The data revealed largely stable characteristics in two populations over 2-3 generations, but possible contemporary changes in a third population. These potential shifts were suggested by reduced catch rates, reduced body size, and changes in selection implied at one gene-associated single nucleotide polymorphism. A demographic decline in this population, however, was ambiguously supported, based on the apparent lack of temporal change in effective population size, and corresponding traditional knowledge suggesting little change in catch. We illustrate how the pluralistic approach employed has practicality for setting future monitoring efforts of these populations, by guiding monitoring priorities according to the relative merits of different metrics and availability of resources. Our study also considers some advantages and disadvantages to adopting a pluralistic approach to population monitoring where demographic data are not easily obtained.
Department of Biology, Concordia University 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada.
Dylan J
DJ
Fraser
Department of Biology, Concordia University 7141 Sherbrooke St. West, Montreal, QC, H4B 1R6, Canada.
Anna M
AM
Calvert
Département de Biologie, Institut de Biologie Intégrative et des Systèmes (IBIS), Université Laval Pavillon Charles-Eugène-Marchand 1030, Avenue de la Médecine Local 1145, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada.
Louis
L
Bernatchez
Tourism Office, Cree Nation of Mistissini Mistissini, QC, G0W 1C0, Canada.
Andrew
A
Coon
Mistassini Lake; effective population size; genetic monitoring; life history; salmonid; traditional ecological knowledge.