Genetic identification of native populations of Mediterranean brown trout Salmo trutta L. complex (Osteichthyes: Salmonidae) in central Italy

Italian native populations of Mediterranean brown trout belong to the Salmo trutta complex. This species complex includes many mitochondrial lineages and phenotypes that have caused taxonomic controversies over time. The spatial distribution and the genetic diversity of these fishes are threatened b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:European zoological journal 2019-01, Vol.86 (1), p.424-431
Main Authors: Rossi, A. R., Petrosino, G., Milana, V., Martinoli, M., Rakaj, A., Tancioni, L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic ecosystems
Biodiversity
Biodiversity conservation
Ecosystems
Genetic analysis
Genetic diversity
Genotypes
Global warming
Haplotypes
hybridization
Mitochondria
Phenotypes
Population genetics
restocking
Rivers
Salmo trutta
salmonids
Spatial distribution
threatened fish
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Summary:Italian native populations of Mediterranean brown trout belong to the Salmo trutta complex. This species complex includes many mitochondrial lineages and phenotypes that have caused taxonomic controversies over time. The spatial distribution and the genetic diversity of these fishes are threatened by habitat destruction, global warming and, mainly, by the introduction of domestic trout of Atlantic origin. Indeed allochthonous trouts were massively restocked in Italian rivers for a century and they admixed with native populations. In order to identify residual native populations of Mediterranean brown trout, a genetic analysis of specimens collected within Latium region, on the Tyrrhenian slope of central Italy, was undertaken. To this purpose, 210 trout specimens were collected from six different rivers and analyzed for the identification of their nuclear (LDH-C1* RFLP) and mitochondrial (Control Region sequences) genotypes. Genetic characterization with these molecular markers allowed a quantitative estimate of allochthonous genotypes, which are present in all brown trout populations of the six sites, even if not equally distributed across the sampling area. At least three populations, inhabiting diverse lotic ecosystems (mountain, hilly and coastal streams respectively), are characterized by a high percentage of native nuclear allele *100 at locus LDH-C1* and typical Mediterranean haplotypes (of AD and ME lineages), which can be considered as different management units (MUs). This finding highlighted the aquatic ecosystems of the Latium Region as an important hotspot of salmonid biodiversity within the Italian peninsula, with important implications from a conservation perspective.
ISSN:2475-0263
2475-0255
2475-0263
DOI:10.1080/24750263.2019.1686077