The genetic basis for timing of reproduction in the Atlantic herring revealed
![A shoal of herring.](https://www.scilifelab.se/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/herring-puff.jpg)
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, led by Leif Andersson at Uppsala University/SciLifeLab, 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.