Data from: Contrasting effect of hybridization on genetic differentiation in three rockfish species with similar life history

Hybridization can provide evolutionary benefits (e.g., population
resilience to climate change) through the introduction of adaptive alleles
and increase of genetic diversity. Nevertheless, management strategies may
be designed based only on the parental species within a hybrid zone,
without considering the hybrids. This can lead to ineffective spatial
management of species, which can directly harm population diversity and
negatively impact food webs. Three species of rockfish (Brown Rockfish
(Sebastes caurinus), Copper Rockfish (S. auriculatus), and Quillback
Rockfish (S. maliger)) are known to hybridize within Puget Sound,
Washington, but genetic data from these species are used to infer
population structure in the entire genus, including in species that do not
hybridize. The goal of this project was to estimate the hybridization
rates within the region and determine the effect of hybridization on
geographic patterns of genetic structure. We sequenced 290 Brown, Copper,
and Quillback rockfish using restriction‐site associated DNA sequencing
(RADseq) from four regions within and outside Puget Sound, Washington. We
show that (i) hybridization within Puget Sound was asymmetrical, not
recent, widespread among individuals, and relatively low level within the
genome, (ii) hybridization affected population structure in Copper and
Brown rockfish, but not in Quillback Rockfish and (iii) after taking
hybridization into account we found limited directional dispersal in Brown
and Copper rockfish, and evidence for two isolated populations in
Quillback Rockfish. Our results suggest that rockfish population structure
is species‐specific, dependent on the extent of hybridization, and cannot
be inferred from one species to another despite similar life history.