Genetic Diversity in Metapenaeus dobsoni using RAPD Analysis

Abstract

IntroductionMaintenance of both genetic diversity and population distinctiveness is a major goalin the conservation management plans of overexploited species (Meffe 1994).Genetic data and phylogeographic structure throughout the species’ range constitutethe basic information required to understand their evolution and biogeographichistory. A widespread decline in the shrimp population in Indian waters has led to apressing need to assess genetic variability in the wild population for properconservation.Metapenaeus dobsoni (Miers, 1878) is a valuable shrimp distributed in thecoastal waters of India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and thePhilippines (Fischer and Bianchi 1984). It contributes significantly to shrimpcatches from the east and west coasts of India and Sri Lanka. Overexploitation ofjuveniles and the use of destructive fishing methods in the estuarine environmentcould be responsible for the dwindling of this resource. Knowledge of thepopulation genetic structure of this species can help to determine the exploitationpattern and, hence, conservation.Randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) is a simple and easy molecularmethod to determine genetic diversity, taxonomic identity, and systemic details ofvarious organisms (Welsh and McClelland 1990; Williams et al. 1990). Thistechnique has been used to estimate genetic diversity in penaeid shrimp, fish, andshellfish (Bardakci and Skibinski 1994; Garcia et al. 1994; Garcia and Benzie 1995;