Quaternary history and radiation of Salvelinus fish in the ancient Arctic Lake El’gygytgyn

El’gygytgyn is the only ancient lake in the Arctic that avoided continental-scale glaciations. This lake is located on an arid mountain plateau, far from the main routes of post-glacial freshwater fish dispersal, and it is therefore challenging to consider the local fauna in a historical context. Here we present a study of the ecology and evolutionary history of the local charr complex (genus Salvelinus). We found that the endemic charrs exhibit extreme longevity, contrasting lifestyles and phenotypes. Salvelinus svetovidovi is a relic benthivorous species. The remaining charrs are descendants of Salvelinus taranetzi. Mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA polymorphisms analyzed in them and in charrs from surrounding basins indicate that S. taranetzi invaded the lake from Arctic Chukotka in the late Pleistocene as two distinct, previously diverged lineages. Descendants of both lineages occupied the pelagic food chain. The first lineage has flourished as a monomorphic planktivorous population since colonization. The second represents an example of a recent in-lake adaptive divergence, in which a deepwater piscivore specialist formed a new epilimnetic ecomorph of an impressive size (up to 9.0 kg). We suggest that this diversification was triggered by modern warming in the Arctic, which led to the formation of a productive littoral ecosystem.