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Microsatellite analysis of albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga): population genetic structure in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

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Abstract

Stock heterogeneity was investigated in albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga, Bonnaterre 1788), a commercially important species in the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci were examined in 581 albacore tuna from nine locations, four in the north-east Atlantic Ocean (NEA), three in the Mediterranean Sea (MED) and two in the south-western Pacific Ocean (SWP). Maximum numbers of alleles per locus ranged from 9 to 38 (sample mean, 5.2–22.6 per locus; overall mean, 14.2 ± 0.47 SE), and observed heterozygosities per locus ranged from 0.44 to 1.00 (overall mean: 0.79 ± 0.19 SE). Significant deficits of heterozygotes were observed in 20% of tests. Multilocus F ST values were observed ranging from 0.00 to Θ = 0.036 and Θ′ = 0.253, with a mean of Θ = 0.013 and Θ′ = 0.079. Pairwise F ST values showed that the SWP, NEA and MED stocks were significantly distinct from one another, thus corroborating findings in previous studies based on mitochondrial DNA, nuclear DNA (other than microsatellites) and allozyme analyses. Heterogeneity was observed for the first time between samples within the Mediterranean Sea. GENELAND indicated the potential presence of three populations across the NEA and two separate populations in the Mediterranean Sea. Observed genetic structure may be related to migration patterns and timing of movements of subpopulations to the feeding grounds in either summer or autumn. We suggest that a more intensive survey be conducted throughout the entire fishing season to ratify or refute the currently accepted genetic homogeneity within the NEA albacore stock.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge the PhD sponsorship to CAD by Bord Iasciagh Mhara, Ireland, funded by the Irish Government and part-financed by the European Union under the National Development Plan 2000–2006 through the Supporting Measures in the Fisheries Sector. Our grateful thanks to all those involved in the sourcing, collection and processing of samples, especially fellow researchers at Instituto Tecnológico Pesquero y Alimentario (ATZI), Bord Iasciagh Mhara and Galway Mayo Institute of Technology. Many thanks to D.S., P.McG., A.L.M. and the two anonymous reviewers for their comments which have greatly improved earlier versions of this manuscript.

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  1. C. A. Davies

    Present address: School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, Menai Bridge, Anglesey, LL59 5AB, UK

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Commercial Fisheries Research Group, Department of Life Sciences, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, Galway, Ireland

    C. A. Davies & D. Brophy

  2. Molecular Ecology Research Group, Department of Life Sciences, Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Dublin Road, Galway, Ireland

    C. A. Davies, E. M. Gosling & A. Was

  3. Molecular Ecology and Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Deniol Road, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 2UW, UK

    N. Tysklind

  4. Department of Fishery Resources, Sea Fisheries Institute, Kołłataja Street 1, 81-332, Gdynia, Poland

    A. Was

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Communicated by T. Reusch.

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227_2011_1772_MOESM1_ESM.pdf

Supplementary Figure A. Map of posterior probability of belonging to population clusters; from red = low probability of belonging to cluster; ranging to white = highest probability of belonging to a particular cluster. Black dots indicate the relative positions of collected samples. (PDF 135 kb)

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Davies, C.A., Gosling, E.M., Was, A. et al. Microsatellite analysis of albacore tuna (Thunnus alalunga): population genetic structure in the North-East Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea. Mar Biol 158, 2727–2740 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-011-1772-x

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