Population correlates of rapid captive-induced maladaptation in a wild fish

Understanding the extent to which captivity generates maladaptation in wild species can inform species recovery programs and elucidate wild population responses to novel environmental change. Though rarely quantified, effective population size (Ne) and genetic diversity should influence the magnitude of plastic and genetic changes manifested in captivity that reduce wild fitness. Sexually-dimorphic traits might also mediate consequences of captivity. To evaluate these relationships, we generated >600 full- and half-sibling families from nine wild brook trout populations, reared them for one generation under common, captive environmental conditions, and contrasted several fitness-related traits in wild vs. captive lines. We found substantial variation in lifetime success (lifetime survival and reproductive success) and life history traits among wild populations after just one captive generation (fourteen- and three-fold ranges across populations, respectively). Populations with lower ...