Endangered Atlantic Salmon Inbreeding and Outbreeding Risk Experiment

A reciprocal transplant experiment tested inbreeding and outbreeding depression in three neighboring populations of endangered Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). The study involved releasing and recapturing pure, inbred, and first- and second-generation outbred cross types in wild and captive environments. It evaluated relative fitness effects over a geographic scale of 34-50 km.

Use Cases

• Analyze survival and recapture rates for pure, inbred, and outbred cross types to assess fitness trade-offs.
• Model the effects of cross type and population origin on local adaptation outcomes in wild environments.
• Compare fitness metrics between captive and wild environments for different cross types to evaluate rearing success.

Strengths

• Experimental data from a controlled reciprocal transplant design across three distinct salmon populations.
• Simultaneously tests for local adaptation, inbreeding depression, and outbreeding depression in an endangered species.
• Data supports a specific geographic scale analysis (34-50 km) for conservation decision-making.

Limitations

• Sample sizes for specific cross types and populations are not provided, limiting power assessment.
• Findings are specific to Atlantic salmon and a particular geographic region, limiting generalizability.
• The dataset may not include raw individual-level measurements, only aggregated results from the described experiment.

Provenance

Source

Dryad digital repository.

Collection Method

Reciprocal transplant experiment with captive-bred salmon released and recaptured in the wild.

Freshness

Data last updated in June 2020.

Geography

Three neighboring populations of Atlantic salmon, spanning 34-50 km.