Evaluation of genetic diversity of eight grouper species <Emphasis Type="Italic">Epinephelus</Emphasis> spp. based on microsatellite variations

ABSTRACT:   Genetic diversity among eight species of grouper, Epinephelus bleekeri , E. coioides , E. malabaricus , E. ongus , E. akaara , E. maculatus , E. merra and E. fuscoguttatus , was studied using six microsatellite loci, Em-01 *, Em-03 *, Em-07 *, Em-08 *, Em-10 *, and CA-07 *, with the aim of exploring the feasibility of using microsatellite data for species identification. The results showed high levels of genetic differentiation among species ( F _ST  = 0.4403 and R _ST  = 0.4954). Species identification based on fixed allelic differences was possible between E. coioides , E. ongus , and E. fuscoguttatus at Em-01 * and between E. fuscoguttatus and E. ongus at Em-08 *. Private alleles were found in all species, except for E. ongus . Pairwise F _ST ranged 0.238–0.578 ( P  < 0.008 Bonferroni correction), and Nei's genetic distance ranged 0.433–2.710. Size homoplasy was observed at Em-03 * 157 allele, which was characterized by a T–C transition at the 119th nucleotide site of PCR products. The genetic assignment test unambiguously assigned each individual to the correct species. Thus, this test can be used for species identification of unknown individuals when the multilocus genotypes of the six microsatellite loci are available. The phylogenetic (neighbor-joining) tree, which was constructed based on the genetic distance matrix, separated the eight grouper species into two main groups.     

Genetic differentiation between Zhe oyster Crassostrea plicatula and pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas populations in China assessed by microsatellite analysis

ABSTRACT:   Genetic differentiation and relationships between Crassostrea plicatula and Crassostrea gigas populations from China were studied by means of the microsatellite technique. Seven loci were used to screen five populations each collected from C. plicatula and C. gigas . All loci showed high polymorphism for all populations, as observed in average number of alleles per locus (19.1–28.1), and average expected heterozygosity (0.891–0.954). Significant departures from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium due to heterozygote deficiency were observed over most populations at each locus and were best explained by null alleles. F _ST values showed significant genetic differentiation between C. plicatula and C. gigas populations. According to the neighbor-joining tree constructed on the basis of the genetic distance ( D _A), the ten populations fell into two distinct groups ( C. plicatula and C. gigas groups), and the results of principal coordinate analysis and assignment tests also supported the neighbor-joining clustering. The outcomes presented here suggested that the microsatellite markers have great potential for differentiating C. plicatula from C. gigas populations. The information obtained in this study has important implications for the suitable management and conservation of these genetic resources in China.     

Molecular identification of interspecific hybrids between Haliotis discus hannai Ino and Haliotis gigantea Gmelin using amplified fragment‐length polymorphism and microsatellite markers

Interspecific hybrids between Haliotis discus hannai Ino and Haliotis gigantea Gmelin were produced in this study. The hybridity of the interspecific hybrids was confirmed by using the methods of amplified fragment‐length polymorphism (AFLP) and microsatellite [simple sequence repeats (SSR)] markers. Five AFLP primer combinations were used to develop the AFLP profiles of H. discus hannai, H. gigantea and their reciprocal hybrids. AFLP analysis revealed that genetic variations of H. discus hannai and H. gigantea were relatively diverse and each species holds species‐specific bands. The AFLP profiles of reciprocal hybrids showed that all of the hybrids inherited bands specific to H. discus hannai and H. gigantea. Of a total of 20 microsatellite loci, which were selected from H. discus hannai microsatellite markers evaluated, eight loci were polymorphic in H. gigantea samples, with an average of 3.375 alleles per locus. Preliminary screening showed that, two of these eight microsatellite loci (Awb002 and Awb022) could be used as species‐specific markers to distinguish the hybrids and their parental species. Simple sequence repeats analysis showed that the reciprocal hybrids inherited one allele from each parent for both of the two SSR loci investigated. These data strongly suggest that the induced interspecific hybrid is a true hybrid between H. discus hannai and H. gigantea.     

Perception of light intensity by Haliotis discus discus based on locomotor activity patterns

ABSTRACT:   An apparatus to measure the locomotor activity of aquatic benthic organisms at variable low light levels was developed and the diurnal behavioral pattern of the abalone Haliotis discus discus was measured at various low light intensities. During the experiment, abalone were exposed to 12 h light–dark cycles of complete darkness, 0 µmol/m²/s throughout the 12 h dark cycle and, during periods I (days 1–8) and III (days 19–26), the 12 h light cycles were set at 10 µmol/m²/s. During period II (days 10–17), abalone were exposed to a light level during the 12 h light cycles of 1 × 10⁻⁵, 1 × 10⁻⁶, 1 × 10⁻⁷ or 1 × 10⁻⁸ µmol/m²/s and the changes in locomotor activity assessed. At daytime levels of 1 × 10⁻⁵ µmol/m²/s, typical behavioral patterns were observed of high locomotory activity during the night-time cycle. However, at lower light intensities, the distinction between day and night activity patterns became less clear and, at intensities lower than 1 × 10⁻⁷ µmol/m²/s, the difference between activity during the light and dark cycles became negligible. Based on this, we conclude that the threshold of light level perception in relation to locomotor activity is approximately 1 × 10⁻⁷ µmol/m²/s. The significance of these results in relation to the entrainment of behavior in abalone is discussed.     

Genetic diversity and divergence among clam <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyclina sinensis</Emphasis> populations assessed using amplified fragment length polymorphism

ABSTRACT:   The genetic diversity and population structure of Cyclina sinensis were assessed using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP). Three hundred and fifty-four AFLP loci were analyzed in 160 individuals collected from Lvshun, Lianyungang, Yueqing and Dongxing of coastal China. High levels of genetic diversity were detected, where the percentage of polymorphic loci and average expected heterozygosity ranged 88.4–98.9% and 0.304–0.365, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance showed that variation among populations (24.4%) was highly significant ( P  < 0.001). Accordingly, the global fixation index ( θ _B) averaged over loci was high (0.205). The large genetic differences among populations indicate restricted gene flow, congruent with limited dispersal capability of C. sinensis . The unweighted pair group method with arithmetic mean (UPGMA) tree topology constructed on the basis of Nei's genetic distances between populations showed a clear separation of the northern two populations from the southern two populations, suggesting that gene flow between the northern and southern regions is extremely low. This finding is additionally supported by the separate clustering of the four populations in the results of principal coordinate analysis. The useful information obtained in this study will offer insights to fine-tune conservation and fishery management measures in the future.     

Highly efficient induction of triploid Pacific abalone <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haliotis discus hannai</Emphasis> by caffeine treatment

ABSTRACT:   In order to develop a highly efficient method for mass production of triploid Pacific abalone Haliotis discus hannai , caffeine treatment that is safe and inexpensive was optimized. To suppress the first meiotic division, fertilized eggs were exposed to either a 10- or 15-mM caffeine solution for 24 min beginning at 12 min after fertilization. In most treated batches, the rates of cleaved eggs showed no significant difference from the control batches. However, in most treated batches, the rates of occurrence of normal larvae and the survival rates of the early juveniles were significantly lower than those of the controls. The triploid rates at 6 days to 11 months after settlement in all the treated batches were extremely high (91–100%). There was no significant difference in the mean triploid rates between 10- and 15-mM caffeine treatments. These results suggest that both treatment conditions were conducive to triploid abalone production. One live 2n/3n mosaic specimen was found in the treated batches. However, since the frequency of mosaic was extremely low, the mosaicism would probably not have an adverse effect on the stable production of triploid abalones.     

Ontogenetic habitat shift in abalone <Emphasis Type="Italic">Haliotis discus hannai</Emphasis>: a review

Ecological literature on abalone Haliotis discus hannai populations is reviewed to identify processes and factors driving ontogenetic shifts in habitat. Abalone recruitment is related to the algal community type, with abalone shifting with growth from deeper crustose coralline algal (CCA) habitats to shallower kelp bed habitats via algal turfs. Timing of the habitat shifts is linked to ontogenetic changes in diet, from benthic diatoms to a diet dominated by macroalgae. Susceptibility to predation appears to change, concomitant with the shift from cryptic microhabitats during early-life stages to more exposed habitats during latter-life stages. Interstitial spaces between cobbles and boulders in the CCA habitat are considered to be important for reducing predation risk. The loss of CCA nursery habitat through sedimentation and macroalgal overgrowth likely negatively affects abalone recruitment. Preservation of diverse algal communities, including suitable habitats for the different abalone growth stages, is critical for successful abalone recruitment.     

Population genetic structure and variability of Pacific herring <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clupea pallasii</Emphasis> in the stocking area along the Pacific coast of northern Japan

ABSTRACT:   The genetic diversity of wild and hatchery-released Pacific herring Clupea pallasii collected from three brackish lakes and two bays in Honshu and Hokkaido, Japan was examined with five microsatellite loci. All loci showed high genetic variability with expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.815 to 0.945. Significant differences in genotypic and allelic distributions were detected among all locations except for between the two bays in Honshu Island. Pairwise population analysis based on the F _ST values showed close genetic relationships among the locations in Hokkaido Island, and the hierarchical analyses of molecular variance showed significant genetic difference between the two islands. Those results suggest the existence of subpopulations due to natal homing. In addition, stocked fish showed as much genetic diversity as the wild fish. The pairwise population analyses also showed close relationships between the hatchery fish and the wild fish in respective stocking areas, showing that no effects of stocking programs on genetic diversity of wild populations were detected.     

Genetic variability of cultured populations of the Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai Ino) in China based on microsatellites

The genetic diversity of cultured populations of the Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai Ino) from northern China was analysed using seven microsatellite markers. The microsatellite loci were polymorphic for all the populations, with an average of 8.7 alleles per locus (range 8.0–9.4). The mean observed and expected heterozygosities were 0.547 (range 0.500–0.596) and 0.774 (range 0.754–0.787) respectively. The allelic diversity in terms of number of alleles per locus was considerably lower than that previously found in wild populations (range 21.8–23.0), indicating that bottleneck effects occurred when each population was founded. Significant genetic differentiation among the five cultured populations was shown using F_st and R_st values, and pairwise comparison based on allelic distribution. A neighbour‐joining analysis of the genetic distance did not show a consistent relationship between the geographic and the genetic distances, suggesting the existence of exchanges of breeds and eggs between the hatcheries. The results obtained in this study are useful for a number of areas of interest for fisheries management and the aquaculture industry, especially with regard to breeding programmes.     

Thermal tolerance of a rainbow trout <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus mykiss</Emphasis> strain selected by high-temperature breeding

ABSTRACT:   Thermal tolerance was studied in a rainbow trout strain successively selected through high temperature breeding at 20–27°C since 1966 in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The hatching rate and fry mortality at high temperatures were examined in the selected strain along with normal strains cultured at water temperature of 9–17°C. The hatching rate of embryos fertilized at either 10 or 14°C and subsequently subjected to high temperatures in the blastula or neurula stage of the selected strain, was marginally higher than that of the normal strain counterparts. The upper 50% lethal temperatures (LT₅₀) for embryos in the early segmentation, blastula and neurula stages of the selected strain were also higher than those of the normal strain counterparts. Death temperatures and LT₅₀ of fries acclimated to 20°C of the selected strain were significantly higher than those of the normal strains. However, no difference in the critical thermal maximum was detected between the different strains. These results suggest that the selected strain of rainbow trout established by selecting successively for many generations at high temperatures acquired a degree of thermal tolerance.