Abstract
The Senegalese sole, Solea senegalensis, is an important commercial flatfish species with major fisheries located off the Atlantic coast of the SW Iberian Peninsula. Past information about the genetic structure and connectivity among natural populations of this species has been restricted to mitochondrial DNA analysis. The present analysis of eight natural Atlantic populations fished from Lisbon to the Gulf of Cádiz, using nine microsatellite loci, identifies high intrapopulation genetic variability. Out of 72 tests performed, a total of 19 statistically significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg (H-W) expectations (24%), and 7 after Bonferroni corrections (9%), were observed in the populations examined. Most deviations from H-W expectations were caused by heterozygote deficiencies (positive Fis values) attributed to null alleles predominantly occurring in two loci (Sol GA12 and Sol MIJ) and one population (Río San Pedro). Pairwise genetic differentiation among populations was only found in comparisons involving Río San Pedro samples (five out of seven comparisons) and Barbate samples (two out of seven comparisons). The observed genetic structure complements existing information from mitochondrial data and should contribute to future management of fisheries of this species, since some fisheries are not environmentally sustainable.
Highlights
Solea senegalensis (Kaup 1858) is a common inshore flatfish occurring off the Atlantic coast, from northern Senegal to Perthuis Charantais (France), and in the Mediterranean Sea, from the Strait of Gibraltar to the coast of Tunisia
Results from mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA)-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) studies have indicated low genetic diversity and high differentiation among populations of the SW Iberian Peninsula and Gulf of Cádiz, off the Portuguese coast; these results suggest that this species displays homing behavior (Díaz-Ferguson et al 2007) and that genetic structure is absent and connectivity is elevated within the Gulf of Cádiz area
With respect to genotyping errors, MICROCHECKER suggested a stuttering error in Sse 38 in the Río San Pedro sample. Both in the number of alleles and heterozygosity per locus, was observed at the nine microsatellites analyzed after the genetic characterization of 265 individuals from eight natural populations
Summary
Solea senegalensis (Kaup 1858) is a common inshore flatfish occurring off the Atlantic coast, from northern Senegal to Perthuis Charantais (France), and in the Mediterranean Sea, from the Strait of Gibraltar to the coast of Tunisia. Ciencias Marinas, Vol 38, No 1A, 2012 In this region, it is considered the most important commercial species due to its high economic value and the high quality of its flesh (Imsland et al 2003, APROMAR 2010). It is considered the most important commercial species due to its high economic value and the high quality of its flesh (Imsland et al 2003, APROMAR 2010) This species reaches sexual maturity between three and four years of age (Cabral et al 2007). Anthropogenic factors such as pollution, habitat degradation, and overfishing impact fish distribution and population structure (Mustafa 1999, Cabral et al 2007)
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