Molecular analysis in the conservation of sturgeons and paddlefish

Sturgeon and paddlefish populations worldwide have declined because of anthropogenic influences. The structure and magnitude of genetic diversity of natural populations serves to buffer these fishes against environmental variation and should be maintained. Modern molecular biological techniques prov...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Environmental biology of fishes 1997-03, Vol.48 (1-4), p.385-398
Main Authors: Wirgin, I I, Stabile, JE, Waldman, J R
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acipenser
Acipenseriformes
Anthropogenic factors
Deoxyribonucleic acid
DNA
Freshwater
Genetic diversity
Hybrids
Natural populations
Polyodon
Population biology
Scaphirhynchus
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Summary:Sturgeon and paddlefish populations worldwide have declined because of anthropogenic influences. The structure and magnitude of genetic diversity of natural populations serves to buffer these fishes against environmental variation and should be maintained. Modern molecular biological techniques provide the ability to sensitively characterize and quantify the extent of genetic variation in natural populations. We provide a summary of those problems in sturgeon population biology that are amenable to investigation with DNA approaches, and their applications to date. These have included genetic identification and discrimination of taxa, identification of hybrids, stock identification, mixed-stock analysis, and estimation of gene flow and homing fidelity. To date, almost all studies have been restricted to North American fauna. Improvements to these technologies, including nondestructive sampling, should permit more widespread application of molecular approaches to problems of acipenseriform conservation. We suggest that the use of more sensitive molecular tools such as analyses of hypervariable repetitive and non-coding single copy nuclear DNA may assist management even in those taxa which exhibit overall low levels of genetic diversity.[PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
ISSN:0378-1909
1573-5133
DOI:10.1023/a:1007306911163