Data from: Contemporary factors influencing genetic diversity in the Alaska humpback whitefish Coregonus clupeaformis complex

Thirteen microsatellite loci were used to address three hypotheses
regarding genetic diversity in the humpback whitefish Coregonus
clupeaformis complex in Alaska. The test results provided further insight
into the factors influencing C. clupeaformis complex population structure
and level of genetic variation. First, themicrosatellite data did not
provide evidence of two spatially distinct Beringian and Eurasian refugial
groups as revealed in previous phylogeographic analyses
ofmitochondrialDNAvari- ation. Rather, the population structure inferred
from the microsatellite variation appears to reveal the influence of
factors on amore recent time scale, including gene flowamong the refugial
groups and iso- lation of some anadromous and freshwater resident
populations. Second, anadromous C. clupeaformis complex collections
exhibited higher intra-population genetic diversity than freshwater
resident col- lections. This outcome is consistent with previous meta
analyses suggesting that freshwater resident populations probably have
smaller historical effective population sizes and less conspecific gene
flow because the habitat tends to be smaller and supports fewer and
smaller populations. Finally, the analy- sis of contemporary immigration
rates was consistent with, but did not provide statistical support for,
the hypothesis that gene flow among anadromous C. clupeaformis complex
populations along coastal Alaska is influenced by the Alaska Coastal
Current. Further studies are needed to evaluate gene flow among coastal
Alaska C. clupeaformis complex populations. Published