GENETIC DIVERSITY OF Tor douronensis POPULATIONS IN SABAH

GENETIC DIVERSITY OF Tor douronensis POPULATIONS IN SABAH: IMPLICATIONS FOR AQUACULTURE AND CONSERVATION
Tor douronensis, a cyprinid riverine fish species which also locally known as Pelian, has an aquaculture potential and of conservational value. Understanding the genetic diversity and population structure is fundamental for implementation of appropriate conservation measures and a sustainable management program. Eighteen wild Pelian populations were analyzed based on microsatellite markers and mtDNA D-loop. Pelian possesses microsatellite gene diversity ranging from 0.270 to 0.527 and mtDNA D-loop haplotype diversities ranging from 0.000 to 0.833. Pairwise Fst values for microsatellite and Φst values for mtDNA D-loop were significant (P less than 0.05) between many population pairs. Microsatellites analyses of molecular variance, AMOVA analyses revealed that most of the variances were found within populations (60.85% and 50.74% for grouping by watershed and Crocker  Trusmadi Range, CTR, respectively) whereas mtDNA D-loop region revealed most variances were among groups (95.63% and 73.77% for grouping by watershed and CTR, respectively) with significantly high Φst and Fst values. Mantel tests supported patterns of differentiation as a result of isolation by distance. Analyses on genetic distance-based relationships (NJ, MP, UPGMA, Bayesian, haplotype network) and model-based clustering (BAPS, STRUCTURE) were consistent with partitioning the overall populations into two well differentiated cluster and further sub-structured according to watershed. Isolation by distance, river fragmentation and historical isolation by CTR significantly explain the genetic population structure. The genetic diversity of T. douronensis presents an opportunity for the establishment of a breeding program for the species based on selection and management of broodstock from diverse populations on the basis of mitochondrial and nuclear molecular markers.
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