Ecological and evolutionary insights into the diversification of Atlantic bluefin tuna

Abstract

Identifying and preserving biological diversity is fundamental for the management of wild populations. The Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus; ABT) is a vital species to the North Atlantic Ocean ecosystem that is now rebounding from decades of overfishing. This teleost fish is notable for its large body size, unique form of endothermy, and trans-oceanic migrations that enable individuals to move rapidly between spawning and foraging locations. Here we combine high-resolution whole genome sequencing data with spatial and environmental data from electronic tagging to improve our understanding of population structure in ABT. We analyzed whole genome sequences (n=82) from both larvae and adult fish representing the two recognized stocks (western and eastern) of ABT, which originate from geographically distinct spawning grounds. Analyzing these data, we identified 11,181,223 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), a dataset of unprecedented size and resolution. Coverage across the entire genome resulted in increased power in analyses of population structure, patterns of selection, and demographic history between the two recognized stocks. Notably, we report that both neutral and putatively adaptive SNPs are differentiated between populations, and through analyses of FST outlier SNPs, we discovered candidate genes with potentially adaptive roles. We suggest that both demographic history and oceanographic variation of the spawning grounds have contributed to shaping bluefin tuna genomic diversity. Our results characterize adaptive variation that will be consequential for management decisions and critical for preserving locally adapted populations.