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Abstract
The genetic diversity of the three major artificially propagated populations of Chinese sucker, an endangered freshwater fish species, was investigated using the sequences of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control regions. Among the 89 individuals tested, 66 variable sites (7.26%) and 10 haplotypes were detected (Haplotype diversity Hd = 0.805, Nucleotide diversity π = 0.0287). In general, genetic diversity was lower in artificially propagated populations than in wild populations. This reduction in genetic diversity may be due to population bottlenecks, genetic drift and human selection. A stepping-stone pattern of gene flow was detected in the populations studied, showing much higher gene flow between neighbouring populations. To increase the genetic diversity, wild lineages should be introduced, and more lineages should be shared among artificially propagated populations.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge Yiyuan Xie and Chunlin Wu for their constructive and helpful advice and thank all members of the laboratory for invaluable help in experiment and checking the manuscript.
Declaration of interest
This study was supported by grants from Science and Technology Projects of Jiangxi Provincial Department of Agriculture (13005670) and leading talent training plan of the GanPo Outstanding Talents 555 Project (18000041). The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article.