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Parentage assignment in the critically endangered European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) based on a novel microsatellite multiplex assay: a valuable resource for restocking, monitoring and conservation programs

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Abstract

The only remaining population of the critically endangered European sturgeon, Acipenser sturio, is located in the Gironde basin (France). A restoration program initiated 20 years ago has allowed more than one and a half million individuals to be stocked. Effective monitoring of this population is a key prerequisite in ensuring the sustainability of this species in the wild. We report the development of a novel microsatellite multiplex assay for genetic monitoring of A. sturio. Diversity of a set of 18 loci was low to moderate, with a number of alleles and observed heterozygosity ranging from 4 to 7 and 0.33 to 0.74 respectively, depending on markers. A set of captive-born progeny of known relatives (n = 72) was used to examine the efficiency of this assay in assigning parentage to offspring. Three different programs were used. Correct assignment success was generally high (above 90 %), but differed between programs. Parentage analysis of individuals captured in the Gironde estuary (n = 193) demonstrated that most offspring (91.2 %) are unambiguously allocated to parent pairs from the broodstock. Our research provides an efficient and accurate method for the genetic monitoring of the restocking program, but also for others aspects of conservation, including genetic diversity evaluation, effective population size estimation, and inbreeding assessment.

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Acknowledgments

We wish to thank the regional funders of this study: Agence de l’Eau Adour Garonne, DREAL (Direction régionale de l’environnement, de l’aménagement et du logement; Aquitaine), région Aquitaine, Conseil Régional Gironde. This study was also supported by the National French Action Plan in favor of A. sturio restoration. We thank Pierre Duchesne for help in assignment analyses using PASOS and PAPA programs, Frédérique Cerqueira and Erick Desmarais for their help in data acquisition. Data used in this work were (partly) produced through the Genotyping and Sequencing facilities of ISEM (Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution-Montpellier) and Labex Centre Méditerranéen Environnement Biodiversité. We also thank technicians from Migado association and from Irstea for fins sampling within the captive stock.

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  1. IRSTEA, EABX, 50 avenue de Verdun, 33612, Cestas Cedex, France

    S. Roques, P. Chèvre, E. Rochard & M. L. Acolas

  2. UMR 5554, Institut des Sciences de l’Evolution, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, CC 065, Place E. Bataillon, 34095, Montpellier Cedex 5, France

    P. Berrebi

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  1. S. Roques
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Roques, S., Berrebi, P., Chèvre, P. et al. Parentage assignment in the critically endangered European sturgeon (Acipenser sturio) based on a novel microsatellite multiplex assay: a valuable resource for restocking, monitoring and conservation programs. Conservation Genet Resour 8, 313–322 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12686-016-0538-7

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