Population genetics of swamp eel in the Yangtze River: comparative analyses between mitochondrial and microsatellite data provide novel insights

PeerJ

article

Huaxing Zhou¹  Yuting Hu¹  He Jiang¹  Guoqing Duan¹  Jun Ling¹  Tingshuang Pan¹  Xiaolei Chen¹  Huan Wang¹  Ye Zhang¹ 

[1] Anhui Key Laboratory of Aquaculture and Stock Enhancement, Fisheries Research Institution, Anhui Academy of Agricultural Sciences

关键词: Monopterus albus;    Sex reversal;    Mitochondrial and nuclear markers;    Population genetics;   

DOI  :  10.7717/peerj.8415

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: Inra

【 摘 要 】

The swamp eel (Monopterus albus) is a typical sex reversal fish with high economic value. Several phylogeographic studies have been performed using various markers but comparative research between mitochondrial and nuclear markers is rare. Here, a fine-scale study was performed across six sites along the Yangtze River including three sites on the main stem and three sites from tributaries. A total of 180 swamp eel individuals were collected. Genetic structure and demographic history were explored using data from two mitochondrial genes and eight microsatellite loci. The results revealed the samples from tributary sites formed three separate clades which contained site-specific lineages. Geographic isolation and the habitat patchiness caused by seasonal cutoff were inferred to be the reasons for this differentiation. Strong gene flow was detected among the sites along the main stem. Rapid flow of the river main stem may provide the dynamic for the migration of swamp eel. Interestingly, the comparative analyses between the two marker types was discordant. Mitochondrial results suggested samples from three tributary sites were highly differentiated. However, microsatellite analyses indicated the tributary samples were moderately differentiated. We conclude this discordance is mainly caused by the unique life history of sex reversal fish. Our study provides novel insights regarding the population genetics of sex reversal fish.

【 授权许可】

CC BY