A PCR-RFLP based test for distinguishing European and Atlantic sturgeons

Aim Migrants of the Atlantic sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus, from North America are thought to have founded the Baltic sturgeon population during the Little Ice Age around 1200 years ago, replacing the European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio. To test this hypothesis and to further elucidate the colonization of the Baltic Sea by A. oxyrinchus, we carried out DNA analyses of ancient and contemporary populations of both species. Location We analysed DNA from 188 specimens of sturgeons collected from archaeological sites and museums in Poland and of 225 contemporary specimens from North American and European populations. Methods Several mitochondrial DNA fragments were sequenced and eight microsatellite loci were genotyped for species identification, polymorphism and population structure analyses. Approximate Bayesian computation was used to estimate when the Baltic Sea was colonized. Results Of 125 ancient sturgeon specimens from the Baltic Sea, only four were classified as A. sturio, the remainder being A. oxyrinchus oxyrinchus. The ancient A. o. oxyrinchus population over two different time periods was highly polymorphic and genetically distant from contemporary populations of this taxon. The time of entry into the Baltic Sea was estimated to be 4000–5000 years ago. We also detected introgression of A. sturio into the A. o. oxyrinchus gene pool, caused by a prior hybridization event. Main conclusions For the past 2000 years at least, A. o. oxyrinchus has been the dominant sturgeon in the Baltic Sea, indicating a much earlier origin than previously suggested. The most similar extant sturgeon populations to the extinct Baltic stock are those from the St John and St Lawrence rivers in Canada. These populations should be considered the best source of breeding material for the ongoing sturgeon restitution programmes in Poland and Germany.

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“…The PCR‐RFLP method described by Panagiotopoulou et al . () was used to screen the contemporary samples for this polymorphism.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A minimum of six clones per PCR product were sequenced using M13 universal primers and checked for consistency. The PCR-RFLP method described by Panagiotopoulou et al (2014) was used to screen the contemporary samples for this polymorphism.…”

Section: Mitochondrial Dna and Microsatellite Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

The history of sturgeon in the Baltic Sea

Popović

Panagiotopoulou

Baca

et al. 2014

Journal of Biogeography

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“…) has been universally considered to be closely related to, if not synonymous with (Artuykhin and Vecsei, ), the European sea sturgeon, A. sturio . This is due to the substantial morphological similarity of the two species (Vladykov and Greeley, ; Vasil'eva, ; see Desse‐Berset, for morphological characters separating the two species, and Panagiotopoulou et al., for methods of genetic discrimination). Additionally, these species share similar karyotypes and cytogenetic features (Fontana et al., ) and in all cladistic analyses of sturgeon relationships using both morphological and molecular data, the two are recovered as sister‐taxa.…”

Section: Taxonomy and Phylogenymentioning

confidence: 99%

Review of the biology, fisheries, and conservation status of the Atlantic Sturgeon,(Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchusMitchill, 1815)

et al. 2016

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Summary The Atlantic Sturgeon, Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchus, is a large member of the family Acipenseridae, historically reaching lengths of at least 4.6 m in length (with some estimates of 5–6 m). In North America, A. o. oxyrinchus occurs in major rivers and coastal environments along the east coast from Labrador, Canada to Florida, USA; there are also naturally occurring European populations in the Baltic and North Seas. There is evidence that at least 35 North American rivers historically supported spawning populations, although only about 27 rivers are currently known or suspected to support spawning populations. All North American populations are greatly reduced from their historical levels of abundance. The commercial fishery for A. o. oxyrinchus reached its height in the late 1800s, and, in part, caused a population crash from which the species has not yet recovered. In 2012, the species was listed as threatened or endangered under the US Endangered Species Act throughout its range in the United States. It remains unlisted under the Species At Risk Act in Canada although two populations are listed as Threatened by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada. Nevertheless, the Atlantic Sturgeon remains the subject of a regulated commercial fishery in Canada. There is a growing understanding of the biology of A. o. oxyrinchus, and this paper reviews the current state of knowledge of its biology, ecology, life history, conservation, and recovery, and provides an overview of the historical fisheries for this species.

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“…In genetic studies regarding sturgeons the PCR-RFLP markers were mainly used in two directions: to assess the genetic diversity of sturgeon populations [40,41] and for species identification and implicit for caviar traceability [42,43]. Wolf et al [42] has identified species specific restriction profiles in a fragment from the mitochondrial gene cytochrome b (cyt b) in 10 species from Acipenser and Huso genera.…”

Section: Pcr-rflpmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A similar study was performed by Ludwig et al [44] for 22 sturgeon species, an accurate identification being possible by analyzing the restriction profiles resulted consequently the action of five REs on a fragment of 1121 bp from cyt b gene. Panagiotopoulou et al [43] proposed a molecular method based on PCR-RFLP to distinguish between Atlantic (Acipenser oxyrinchus) and European (A. sturio) sturgeon. The discrimination between the two species is difficult to be done exclusively by morphological traits, especially in their early life stages, while the application of two REs allowed the clear and unambiguous discrimination of 132 specimens of Atlantic and European sturgeon.…”

Section: Pcr-rflpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity in Fish Using Molecular Markers

Dudu¹,

Georgescu²,

Costache³

2015

Molecular Approaches to Genetic Diversity

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Their extinct relatives (Infraclass Chondrostei) date to the Devonian (about 350 million years ago) and Acipenser fossils were found in the Western of North America dating from Upper Cretaceous. At present time within Acipenseriformes only two families exist, Acipenseridae and Polyodontidae, the first one counting 25 species inhabiting rivers, lakes, coastal waters and inner seas from the Northern hemisphere. The Acipenseriformes species are strictly Northern hemisphere fishes, some being resident to fresh water, while others are anadromous. Sturgeons are reunited in Acipenseridae family with four genera-Acipenser, Huso, Scaphirhynchus and Pseudoscaphirhynchus.

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A PCR-RFLP based test for distinguishing European and Atlantic sturgeons

Cited by 5 publications

References 40 publications

The history of sturgeon in the Baltic Sea

The history of sturgeon in the Baltic Sea

Review of the biology, fisheries, and conservation status of the Atlantic Sturgeon,(Acipenser oxyrinchus oxyrinchusMitchill, 1815)

Evaluation of Genetic Diversity in Fish Using Molecular Markers

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