Genetic Variability and Divergence in Grayling, THYMALLUS ARCTICUS

In North America there are two disjunct forms of grayling, Montana and arctic, which have been separated for approximately 75,000 to 100,000 years. Electrophoretic analysis of thirty-six protein loci in these forms has revealed: (1) levels of gene duplication comparable to other salmonids, (2) a level of heterozygosity similar to other salmonids, (3) a fast and a slow evolving set of proteins, and (4) no obvious relationship between genetic variability and enzyme function. The genetic divergence between these populations may warrant subspecific designations for these two forms.