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Mitochondrial DNA reveals low population differentiation in elongate loach, Leptobotia elongata (Bleeker): implications for conservation

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Abstract

Elongate loach (Leptobotia elongata (Bleeker)), an endemic fish species to China, is a famous ornamental freshwater fish. Here, a comparative study of mtDNA control region (D-loop) (835 bp) sequences was performed to analyze its wild population structure and evaluate the genetic diversity for 110 individuals from five locations in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, China. A total of 49 polymorphic sites and 45 haplotypes yielded high haplotype diversity (h = 0.952), but low nucleotide diversity (π = 0.00454) as that of many fish species. Sequence divergences between haplotypes ranged from 0.0033 ± 0.0011 to 0.0050 ± 0.0012 in intra-groups, and from 0.0037 ± 0.0.0011 to 0.0050 ± 0.0012 between groups. Significant values of Tajima’s D (−1.86383, P < 0.01) and Fu’s F S (−25.93, P < 0.01), together with uni-modal mismatch distribution, indicated a recent genetic bottleneck or population expansion of the species. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated a small amount of differentiation among groups (1.7%); most of the total variation occurred within groups (98.3%). Also, there was no significant population structure (F ST = 0.017, P > 0.05), and estimates of gene flows among groups were extremely high (Nm = 28.88), suggesting low genetic divergence between populations in the species. The lack of genetic differentiation among groups is most likely due to the combined gene flow from the downstream movement of eggs and larvae with currents and the upstream or downstream migration of adults throughout the distribution. These groups of L. elongata distributed in upper reaches of the Yangtze River should be considered as a single management unit.

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Acknowledgements

The work was funded by Key Laboratory of Genetic Breeding and Aquaculture Biology of Freshwater Fishes, Ministry of Agriculture, the People’s Republic of China (BM2007-15). English editorial assistance was provided by Jason Scott of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Georgia, USA.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Animal Science and Technology, Sichuan Agricultural University, Yaan, 625014, People’s Republic of China

    Guangxun Liu & Dinggang Zhou

  2. Fisheries Institute, Sichuan Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Chengdu, 611731, People’s Republic of China

    Guangxun Liu & Jian Zhou

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  1. Guangxun Liu
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  2. Jian Zhou
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  3. Dinggang Zhou
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Correspondence to Dinggang Zhou.

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Liu, G., Zhou, J. & Zhou, D. Mitochondrial DNA reveals low population differentiation in elongate loach, Leptobotia elongata (Bleeker): implications for conservation. Environ Biol Fish 93, 393–402 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-011-9927-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10641-011-9927-7

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