Haplotype (mtDNA) diversity of brown trout <i>Salmo trutta</i> in tributaries of the Austrian Danube: massive introgression of Atlantic basin fish — by man or nature?

Abstract

Mitochondrial haplotype diversity in 27 populations of brown trout, Salmo trutta L., in Austria was investigated by sequencing the 5' end of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region. Although all populations are within the Danube drainage, 44% of all individuals carried Atlantic basin haplotypes. It is argued that the presence of these haplotypes in Austria primarily reflects introgression stemming from the stocking of hatchery-reared fish. However, several lines of evidence suggest that some natural colonization from Atlantic lineages may have contributed to the present haplotype diversity. Nonetheless, the more diverse Danubian clade is represented by regionally distinct haplotype diversity that should be protected from the continued introduction of domesticated strains of exogenous fish