Population structure and partial anadromy in Oncorhynchus mykiss from Kamchatka:: relevance for conservation strategies around the Pacific Rim

Conservation of life-history diversity found in Oncorhynchus mykiss requires knowledge of the underlying population structure and genetic basis of this variability. We analysed variation at 10 microsatellite loci from seven rivers across Kamchatka to identify population structure and to test for divergence between life-history forms. We found lower heterozygosity in Kamchatkan populations compared with North American populations, but population structure was substantial (region-wide F-ST = 0.11) and followed an isolation-by-distance pattern similar to that reported for older North American populations. We found no evidence for genetic divergence between resident and anadromous individuals in the Sopochnaya River or between typically anadromous individuals and 'half-pounders' in the Utkholok River. A review of other studies of reproductive isolation, in combination with our results, suggests: (1) that pristine populations of steelhead should be expected to exhibit partial anadromy; and (2) that managing anadromous and resident individuals separately without demonstrating reproductive isolation is biologically unsound.