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Founder event and its effect on genetic variation in translocated populations of noble crayfish (Astacus astacus)

  • Animal Genetics • Original Paper
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Abstract

Establishing translocated populations is a common process to preserve and maintain genetic diversity of threatened species. In 2001, three translocated populations of noble crayfish (Astacus astacus) were established in the Czech Republic, founded by either adult or juvenile individuals from three particular source populations. We assessed genetic diversity at seven microsatellite loci after one decade (assumed three generations) from establishment. Although the translocated populations exhibited a slight but non-significant reduction in genetic diversity (A R = 2.2–5.0; H O = 0.11–0.31), the most striking result was generally very low genetic diversity in source populations (A R = 3.0–5.3; H O = 0.15–0.38). Similarly, a high degree of inbreeding (F IS = 0.36–0.60) demonstrates the nature of source populations, already affected by isolation and small size. In spite of that, based on the results of this study, the establishment of new translocated noble crayfish populations was successful, since there is no significant decline in genetic variability and all populations are still viable. Although source populations did not exhibit high genetic diversity, their distinctiveness makes them possible to use for conservation purposes. Continued monitoring is necessary to track the long-term progress of the translocation program, including other parameters describing the state of the population, such as the occurrence and frequency of diseases or morphological changes.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Czech Science Foundation through project P505/12/0545 and, further, by the MEYS of the CR projects CENAKVA (CZ.1.05/2.1.00/01.0024), CENAKVA II (LO1205 under the NPU I), and “The development of Postdoc Positions at the USB” (no. CZ.1.07/2.3.00/30.0049). We wish to thank Dr. Julian Reynolds for his language corrections and careful reading of the manuscript, and technician Ivana Samková for the great help in the molecular laboratory.

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  1. Faculty of Fisheries and Protection of Waters, South Bohemian Research Center of Aquaculture and Biodiversity of Hydrocenoses, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice, Zátiší 728/II, 389 25, Vodňany, Czech Republic

    Martin Bláha, Antonín Kouba, Tomáš Policar & Pavel Kozák

  2. Biology Centre ASCR, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 31, 370 05, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Martina Žurovcová

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  1. Martin Bláha
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Correspondence to Martin Bláha.

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Communicated by: Maciej Szydlowski

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Bláha, M., Žurovcová, M., Kouba, A. et al. Founder event and its effect on genetic variation in translocated populations of noble crayfish (Astacus astacus). J Appl Genetics 57, 99–106 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13353-015-0296-3

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