Phylogeography of Least Cisco (Coregonus sardinella) in Northern Alaska

Populations of least cisco (Coregonus sardinella) are distributed across Arctic Canada, Alaska, and Siberia, encountering physical environments that are diverse and highly variable over a range of spatial and temporal scales. Generally, coregonid fishes such as least cisco are broadly distributed throughout Arctic regions and exhibit highly variable life history traits. Because whitefishes are an important component of Alaska Native subsistence and culture, concerns over the population status and potential effects of development and environmental changes on whitefishes are growing. Current warming trends are expected to alter the hydrographic network of the Alaskan arctic, consequently altering fish distributions and patterns of connectivity among populations. To accurately assess the impact of these changes on natural genetic diversity, we must collect baseline genetic information of fish populations and develop a better understanding of the relationship between genetic variability and landscape characteristics in the context of rapid landscape and climate change. This information will contribute to predictions of how future landscape changes will affect genetic variability of fish populations. In this study, the salmonid control region of mitochondrial DNA was sequenced from least cisco individuals representing populations from the Selawik River, Koyukuk River, Yukon River, and freshwater lakes from the Arctic Coastal Plain. These sequences will be analyzed to compare the phylogeographic relationships among these populations and the preliminary data will be presented as haplotype networks. A preliminary view of the data suggests that least cisco populations are genetically variable among sites.