Genetic diversity, population structure, and demographic history of the chilhuil sea catfish Bagre panamensis in Northwestern Mexico inferred from mitochondrial DNA

Abstract

The chilhuil sea catfish (Bagre panamensis) is an ecologically relevant species contributing to the structure, organization, and functioning of the ecosystems it inhabits. Also, it is an important artisanal fishery resource in the Mexican Pacific coast. This study aimed to determine the genetic diversity, population structure, and historical demography of B. panamensis in the Mexican Pacific. The mitochondrial DNA was amplified from two distinct regions, r16S and COI, resulting in an 1142 bp of the concatenated genes. Low genetic diversity levels were detected for r16S (H = 12; h = 0.131; π = 0.0003) and high genetic diversity levels for COI (H = 57; h = 0.9128; π = 0.0039) and the concatenated gene fragments (H = 62; h = 0.9307; π = 0.0023). Population structure analysis indicated ‘panmixia’ for B. panamensis along the Mexican Pacific. Furthermore, historical demographic analysis (Tajima’s D, Fu’s Fs, mismatch distribution, and Bayesian Skyline plot analyses) supported a population expansion scenario for the studied species.

Keywords:

• Population structure
• population expansion
• demography
• sea catfish
• cytochrome oxidase I
• r16S

Acknowledgements

This manuscript is in memorial of Deivis S. Palacios-Salgado. Authors are grateful to the team of Genetic and Molecular Biology Laboratory of the CIBNOR in particular to Delia Irene Rojas Posada and University Autonomous of Nayarit. We also thank Dr. Vladimir S. de Jesus Bonilla for the Bayesian Skyline plot analysis. Authors thank the two reviewers and the chief editor Dr. Juan Antonio Baeza Migueles who significantly improved the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

The authors reported no potential conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACyT) under the grants Paisaje genómico en el medio marino: patrones de diversidad adaptativa (CB-2015-01-257524) and Patrones convergentes evolutivos de adaptación local en el ambiente marino (No. 321016).