Microsatellite conservation and Bayesian individual assignment in four Anguilla species

Abstract

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 319:251-261 (2006) - doi:10.3354/meps319251 Microsatellite conservation and Bayesian individual assignment in four Anguilla species G. E. Maes1,*, J. M. Pujolar1, J. A. M. Raeymaekers1, J. Dannewitz2, F. A. M. Volckaert1 1Laboratory of Aquatic Ecology, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Ch. de Bériotstraat, 32, 3000 Leuven, Belgium 2Institute of Freshwater Research, National Board of Fisheries, 178 93 Drottningholm, Sweden *Email: gregory.maes@bio.kuleuven.be ABSTRACT: Microsatellite flanking regions are often highly conserved in fish taxa, enabling their application in other species within or outside the source family. Moderately variable microsatellite markers may also be good candidates for species identification using multi-locus genotypes. We evaluated the degree of conservation of microsatellite flanking regions and the level of polymorphism in 4 commercially important eel species (Anguilla anguilla, A. rostrata, A. japonica and A. marmorata). Using multiplex polymerase chain reactions developed for the first 2 taxa, we assessed the discrimination power of an individual-based assignment method to differentiate all 4 species without initial species information. Detection and classification of each species was performed with high confidence (>90%), as was assignment of randomly sampled individuals to pre-defined species (>95%). Our results demonstrate the highly conserved nature of microsatellites and their level of polymorphism in Anguilla species. Although an inverse relationship was found between genetic diversity and differentiation estimates, likely due to homoplasy, assignment proved to be superior to multivariate and distance-based approaches for identifying the 4 species. The method enables the rapid screening of morphologically similar eel species using only 4 co-dominant nuclear loci and the detection of natural hybridisation or anthropogenic mixing between internationally highly traded species. KEY WORDS: Admixture · Anguillids · Flanking region · Genetic variability · Homoplasy · Multiplex-PCR · Species identification Full text in pdf format Supplementary appendix PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 319. Online publication date: August 18, 2006 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2006 Inter-Research.