Population genetic structure and colonization history of short ninespine sticklebacks (Pungitius kaibarae)

Abstract

The contemporary distribution and genetic structure of a freshwater fish provide insight into its historical geodispersal and geographical isolation following Quaternary climate changes. The short ninespine stickleback, Pungitius kaibarae, is a small gasterosteid fish occurring in freshwater systems on the Korean Peninsula and in southeast Russia. On the Korean Peninsula, P. kaibarae populations are distributed in three geographically separated regions: the NE (northeast coast), SE (southeast coast), and a limited area in the ND (Nakdong River). In this study, we used mitochondrial loci and microsatellites to investigate the evolutionary history of P. kaibarae populations by assessing their pattern of genetic structure. Our analyses revealed a marked level of divergence among three regional populations, suggesting a long history of isolation following colonization, although ND individuals showed relatively higher genetic affinity to populations from SE than those from NE. The populations from NE showed a great degree of interpopulation differentiation, whereas populations from SE exhibited only weak genetic structuring. Upon robust phylogenetic analysis, P. kaibarae formed a monophyletic group with Russian P. sinensis and P. tymensis with strong node confidence values, indicating that P. kaibarae populations on the Korean Peninsula originated from the southward migration of its ancestral lineage around the middle Pleistocene.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the nine-spined stickleback Pungitius pungitius (Gasterosteiformes, Gasterosteidae)

“…It is an important model species in evolutionary biology, genetics and behavioural research ( € Ostlund-Nilsson et al 2007;Meril€ a 2013). Pungitius pungitius has been the focus of many population genetic and phylogeographic studies using mitochondrial gene fragments (e.g., Aldenhoven et al 2010;Shikano et al 2010;Bae & Suk 2015;Wang et al 2015), but until now, only a partial assembly of the whole mitochondrial genome has been available from one individual originating from Hokkaido, Japan (Kawahara et al 2009). …”

Human-mediated processes affecting distribution and genetic structure ofSqualidus multimaculatus, a freshwater cyprinid with small spatial range

“…Biogeographic exchange between the southwestern part and the east coast on the Korean Peninsula has been postulated in a few previous studies (Kim et al 1989;Bae and Suk 2015). It is conceivable that eastward migration of the founders might happen probably during the Late Quaternary deformation events through the formation of confluences between tributaries in the Nakdong River and east coastal rivers (Kim et al 1989;Bae and Suk 2015). In future studies, more extensive sampling of S. g. majimae throughout the Korean Peninsula is required to examine whether the populations in the Nakdong River show higher genetic affinity to S. multimaculatus than populations from other drainages.…”

“…In order to verify this assumption, insight should be provided into how the founding individuals were able to disperse and colonize in the geographically isolated freshwater systems in the east coast. Biogeographic exchange between the southwestern part and the east coast on the Korean Peninsula has been postulated in a few previous studies (Kim et al 1989;Bae and Suk 2015). It is conceivable that eastward migration of the founders might happen probably during the Late Quaternary deformation events through the formation of confluences between tributaries in the Nakdong River and east coastal rivers (Kim et al 1989;Bae and Suk 2015).…”

“…However, it is not likely that narrow habitat ranges have induced significant historical declines in population sizes, since M ratios of most populations were similar to or higher than the critical M values. Southern east coastal rivers might have often formed confluence with one another, having historically prevented the populations from declines (see Bae and Suk 2015). In such respect, this second scenario is somewhat less likely.…”

The complete mitochondrial genomes of three geographical lineages in short ninespine stickleback (Pungitius kaibarae) complex and their phylogenetic implication

“…Short ninespine stickleback, Pungitius kaibarae, is a small gasterosteid fish, native to the east coast on the Korean Peninsula, the southeast tip of Russia (Bae and Suk 2015) and northern west coast in Honshu (Japan; Takahashi et al 2016). On the Korean Peninsula, this species is observed in three geographically separated regions: NE, SE and ND (Bae and Suk 2015).…”