Genetic Diversity of Chinese Longsnout Catfish (Leiocassis longirostris) in Four Farmed Populations Based on 20 New Microsatellite DNA Markers

Abstract

Freshwater aquaculture has a long and vibrant tradition in China. The Chinese longsnout catfish (Leiocassis longirostris) is a popular economic freshwater fish native to China. Understanding the genetic structure of L. longirostris populations is important for ensuring the efficacy of management practices and the sustainability of future increases in production. In this study, we used Illumina sequencing technology to isolate 20 novel polymorphic microsatellites from the genome of L. longirostris. These microsatellites were used to analyze the genetic diversity of 240 L. longrostris individuals from four populations. Genetic diversity parameters (NA, HO, HE, I, PIC, and FST) of the four farmed L. longirostris populations were analyzed. The level of genetic differentiation among the four farmed L. longirostris populations (inferred by pairwise comparisons of FST values) was low, but the genetic diversity of these populations was high, indicating that they still provide useful sources of genetic variation that could aid in breeding efforts. The STRUCTURE and ADMIXTURE analyses indicated that admixture might be occurring in the four L. longirostris populations, especially between the MS and YB populations. Understanding the genetic diversity of farmed L. longirostris populations and inbreeding prevention could greatly aid in breeding and production. These newly isolated microsatellite markers and the high genetic diversity of L. longirostris populations in the main breeding areas have important implications for the breeding and stock management of L. longirostris.

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure of Chinese Longsnout Catfish (Leiocassis longirostris) Using Microsatellite DNA Markers

“…In Chinese longsnout catfish, one previous microsatellite study showed no significant genetic differentiation or systematic geographic pattern of this species in the Yangtze River [25]. Notably, high genetic diversity was observed in the cultured populations of Chinese longsnout catfish [26]. However, recently, the genetic diversity and differentiation of wild Chinese longsnout catfish have not been analyzed, which is vital to guide artificial proposition and release to restore wild populations and assess the impact of the ten-year fishing ban in the Yangtze River.…”

Microsatellites as Molecular Markers with Applications in Exploitation and Conservation of Aquatic Animal Populations

“…Microsatellites are continuously used in studies of genetic diversity in cultured stocks [ 22 , 412 , 413 ].…”

“…A few types of molecular markers used in research associated with aquaculture and fisheries have been described over the last few decades decades [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ]. Their applications in uncovering the differentiation of natural populations for the purposes of improved fishery management, population genetic structures and local adaptations for conservation biology purposes, identification of selected lines in aquaculture, analysis of kinship in the stocks and identification of individuals, finding quantitative trait loci (QTL) for the purposes of aquaculture, identification of taxa, food products, and forensics have been reported in a large number of papers [ 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 ].…”