China Sea Populations Research Articles

Mitochondrial DNA variation in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea populations of swimming crab Ovalipes punctatus

Swimming crab Ovalipes punctatus is a commercially important species in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea, but there is limited knowledge of its genetic population structure. The population genetic structure of O. punctatus in East China Sea and Yellow Sea was examined with a 658-bp segment of the mtDNA COI gene. A total of 60 individuals were collected from five locations and 48 haplotypes were obtained. Mean haplotype diversity and nucleotide diversity for the five populations were 0.9876 ± 0.0068 and 0.0074 ± 0.0041, respectively. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) detected no significant differences at all hierarchical levels, and all FST values were non-significant, indicating that no significant population genetic structure exists in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea. These results supported the null hypothesis that O. punctatus within the East China Sea and Yellow Sea constitutes a panmictic mtDNA gene pool. Neutrality tests and mismatch distribution supported population expansion in this species, indicating that climate change could play an important role in affecting the demographic history of marine species. Strong dispersal capacity of larvae and adults, and ocean currents in the studied area could be the reasons for genetic homogeneity in this species in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea. Another explanation for the lack of phylogeographic structure in O. punctatus might reflect a recent range expansion after the last glacial maximum and insufficient time to attain migration-drift equilibrium.

Genetic Variation Analysis of Mugil cephalus in China Sea Based on Mitochondrial COI Gene Sequences

In this study, genetic diversity and population genetic structure of flathead grey mullet, Mugil cephalus, among four China Sea populations were investigated by COI sequences. All the populations studied had high values of haplotype and nucleotide diversity, except for the Yellow Sea population. In the phylogenetic tree, these haplotypes clustered in two groups, one for the populations from the Bohai and East China seas, and the other from the Yellow and South China seas. Analysis of molecular variance indicated that the northern populations (Bohai and East China) had lower genetic divergence (0.0725, P > 0.05) than that of the southern population (South China) (0.4530-0.6827, P < 0.001), suggesting that two distinct genetic groups exist in Chinese waters. Tests of neutral evolution and mismatch distribution indicated that no historical demographic expansion occurred in these populations. The results provide new information for genetic assessment, fishery management, and conservation of this species.