Genetic diversity of eight wild populations of Pampus argenteus along the coast of China inferred from fifteen polymorphic microsatellite markers

Abstract

Pampus argenteus (Perciformes: Stromateidae) is widely distributed along the coast of China, Indian Ocean, Arabian Gulf and North Sea. Due to overfishing and environmental degradation, its resources reduced year after year. Thus, new management strategies are urgently needed for the sustainable growth and utilization of this species. Characterization of the genetic variation of this fish species is essential for conserving the genetic resource and restraining the population decline. Therefore, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the intraspecific genetic diversity and population structure of the species. In this study, we assess the genetic diversity and population structure of P. argenteus by using microsatellites. We genotyped 240 P. argenteus individuals from eight wild populations collected from Shidao (SD), Lianyungang (LYG), Lvsi (LS), Zhoushan (ZS), Dongtou (DT), Xiapu (XP), Haikou (HK), and Beibuwan (BBW) along the coast of China using fifteen polymorphic microsatellites. A total of 139 alleles were determined at 15 loci across the eight populations, and a relatively high level of genetic diversity was observed, with observed heterozygosity (Ho) and expected heterozygosity (He) ranging from 0.100 to 1.000, and from 0.669 to 0.934 per locus-location combination, respectively. LS had the highest average allele (number of alleles, A=15.200), and HK the lowest (A=13.000). Hos of P. argenteus are less than Hes, indicating lack of heterozygote within populations. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that most variation (95.66%) occurred within populations, suggesting that this is the main source of total variance. This study will provide useful information for conservation and sustainable exploitation of this important fishery resource.