The genetic basis for timing of reproduction in the Atlantic herring revealed

EarthzineOceans

(Uppsala University) Animals need to breed at the time of year when their progeny have the best chance of survival. In a study published today in PNAS, scientists in Sweden and Canada have studied the genetic basis of reproduction in 25 populations of herring from both sides of the North Atlantic. They revealed a number of genes associated with the timing of reproduction, and the genetic variants associated with spring or autumn spawning were found to be largely shared between geographically distant populations.