Joan Ferrer Obiol

Abstract Reconstructing the evolutionary dynamics of natural populations requires an understanding of the geographical distribution of nuclear and mitochondrial genetic diversity. The analysis of these two genetic markers frequently discloses discordant patterns (mito-nuclear discordance) that can arise simply as a consequence of their different effective population sizes (Ne). Species-specific sex-biased dispersal may contribute to the mito-nuclear discordance observed in natural populations.

1 Introduction Pollution causes long-term environmental impacts with severe implications for biodiversity and human health (Schwarzenbach et al. 2010; Travis and Hester 1991), yet growing evidence of tolerance to toxic chemicals has resulted in a greater awareness of pollution in mediating contemporary evolution (Hendry, Gotanda, and Svensson 2017; Smith and Bernatchez 2008; Whitehead 2014).

Abstract Industrial pollution is a major driver of ecosystem degradation, but it can also act as a driver of contemporary evolution. As a result of intense mining activity during the Industrial Revolution, several rivers across the southwest of England are polluted with high concentrations of metals. Despite the documented negative impacts of ongoing metal pollution, brown trout (Salmo trutta L.) survive and thrive in many of these metal-impacted rivers.