Western University Scholarship@Western Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository 1-22-2020 1:00 PM Effects of dietary thiaminase on reproductive traits in three populations of Atlantic salmon targeted for reintroduction into Lake Ontario Kimberly T. Mitchell The University of Western Ontario Supervisor Neff, Bryan D. The University of Western Ontario Graduate Program in Biology A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the equirr ements for the degree in Master of Science © Kimberly T. Mitchell 2020 Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd Part of the Aquaculture and Fisheries Commons, Biodiversity Commons, and the Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology Commons Recommended Citation Mitchell, Kimberly T., "Effects of dietary thiaminase on reproductive traits in three populations of Atlantic salmon targeted for reintroduction into Lake Ontario" (2020). Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository. 6826. https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/etd/6826 This Dissertation/Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by Scholarship@Western. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository by an authorized administrator of Scholarship@Western. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Abstract The fitness of reintroduced salmonids in Lake Ontario can be reduced by high levels of thiaminase in exotic prey consumed at the adult stage. If sensitivity to dietary thiaminase differs among the three Atlantic salmon populations targeted for reintroduction into Lake Ontario, this could significantly influence their performance. I quantified the effects of experimental diets that contained high or low (control) levels of thiaminase on thiamine concentrations, survival, growth rate, and reproductive traits (sperm and egg quality) in Atlantic salmon from the three candidate source populations.