Production d'omble de fontaine adaptée aux changements climatiques: évaluation de l'importance des effets épigénétiques

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The objective of this research project is to provide the scientific basis for the establishment of fish production methods aiming to support the brook trout recreational fisheries (Salvelinus fontinalis), which will be adapted to the new environmental context resulting from climate change. Three objectives integrating the study of epigenetic variation and gene expression combined with the acquisition of physiological information and components of phenotypic fitness and interpreted in the conceptual framework of evolutionary quantitative genetics are targeted: 1) testing the effect of thermal regime during adult sexual maturation and offspring incubation on epigenetic changes that may affect survival, growth and resistance to thermal variation during development of young stages of life; 2) estimating, through a factorial crossing design, the heritability and gene-environment interactions of transgenerational plasticity effects on the variation of these phenotypic traits as well as the expression of genes involved in epigenetic mechanisms and physiological performance; 3) assessing the effects of changes in the thermal regime during the production of brook trout on the persistence of methylation patterns, growth, survival and heritability of these traits following stocking in the wild. This project will provide our partners from fish farming industry and government agencies with accurate knowledge of the consequences of breeding and incubation thermal conditions on epigenetic modifications and their impacts on the performance of farmed offspring. This knowledge will allow to develop efficient reproductive and incubation schemes for production and stocking, which will be better adapted to current and future thermal conditions. This project will also contribute to a deeper understanding of the mechanisms underlying epigenetic processes, in particular to elucidate which phenotypes respond to transgenerational epigenetic transmission and thus clarify the importance of these mechanisms in the adaptive potential of aquatic species. Ultimately, this knowledge will help better predict adaptation potential to climate change.