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      Genetic differentiation of European grayling ( Thymallus thymallus) populations in Serbia, based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA analyses

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          Abstract

          Background

          The structure and diversity of grayling ( Thymallus thymallus) populations have been well studied in most of its native habitat; however the southernmost populations of the Balkan Peninsula remain largely unexplored. The purpose of this study was to assess the genetic diversity of Serbian grayling populations, detect the impact of stocking and provide guidelines for conservation and management.

          Methods

          Eighty grayling individuals were collected from four rivers (Ibar, Lim, Drina and Rzav). The mitochondrial DNA control region (CR; 595 bp of the 3'end and 74 bp of flanking tRNA) and the ATP6 gene (630 bp fragment) were sequenced for 20 individuals (five from each locality). In addition, all individuals were genotyped with 12 microsatellite loci. The diversity and structure of the populations as well as the recent and ancient population declines were studied using specialized software.

          Results

          We detected three new haplotypes in the mtDNA CR and four haplotypes in the ATP6 gene of which three had not been described before. Previously, one CR haplotype and two ATP6 gene haplotypes had been identified as allochthonous, originating from Slovenia. Reconstruction of phylogenetic relations placed the remaining two CR haplotypes from the River Danube drainage of Serbia into a new clade, which is related to the previously described sister Slovenian clade. These two clades form a new Balkan clade. Microsatellite marker analysis showed that all four populations are genetically distinct from each other without any sign of intra-population structure, although stocking of the most diverse population (Drina River) was confirmed by mtDNA analysis. Recent and historical population declines of Serbian grayling do not differ from those of other European populations.

          Conclusions

          Our study shows that (1) the Ibar, Lim and Drina Rivers grayling populations are genetically distinct from populations outside of Serbia and thus should be managed as native populations in spite of some introgression in the Drina River population and (2) the Rzav River population is not appropriate for further stocking activities since it originates from stocked Slovenian grayling. However, the Rzav River population does not represent an immediate danger to other populations because it is physically isolated from these.

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          Author and article information

          Journal
          Genet Sel Evol
          Genetics, Selection, Evolution : GSE
          BioMed Central
          0999-193X
          1297-9686
          2011
          14 January 2011
          : 43
          : 1
          : 2
          Affiliations
          [1 ]University of Belgrade, Faculty of Biology, Institute of Zoology, Studentski trg 16, 11001 Belgrade, Serbia
          [2 ]University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Animal Science, Groblje 3, 1230 Domžale, Slovenia
          Article
          1297-9686-43-2
          10.1186/1297-9686-43-2
          3036601
          21235756
          f649e298-98b7-4201-9214-7f9b86bdd167
          Copyright ©2011 Marić et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

          This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

          History
          : 12 July 2010
          : 14 January 2011
          Categories
          Research

          Genetics
          Genetics

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