Genetic Evaluation of a Conservation Hatchery Program for Reintroduction of Sicklefin Redhorse Moxostoma sp. in the Tuckasegee River, North Carolina

Abstract

Restoration and reintroduction efforts for the sicklefin redhorse Moxostoma sp. have been initiated by state, tribal, and federal agencies owing to the limited geographic distribution of this species and threats associated with the physical alteration of its habitat. A critical component of a successful reintroduction is that the source and recipient populations have similar genetic resources and life history patterns. We used 10 microsatellite loci to estimate and compare indices of genetic diversity between the Little Tennessee River population of wild adults and the hatchery broodstock being used for initial reintroduction efforts. We also compared relatedness values for the broodstock used for restoration efforts. There were no significant differences between hatchery broodstock and wild adults with respect to average gene diversity, but the average number of alleles for each brood year was significantly less than that for wild adults. While this trend persisted when the 2007 and 2008 brood years (combined) were compared with wild adults, the reduction was not significant. Finally, all hatchery crosses were among unrelated individuals. Our results highlight the importance of using genetic information to assist restoration and reintroduction efforts.