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Genetic structure of camouflage grouper, Epinephelus polyphekadion (Pisces: Serranidae), in the western central Pacific

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Abstract

The objective of the present study was to investigate the population genetic structure of the commercially important camouflage grouper, Epinephelus polyphekadion (Bleeker, 1849), in the western and central Pacific Ocean to improve existing management. Camouflage grouper are widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific and form brief, seasonal, spawning aggregations that are often heavily fished. The present study examined populations sampled in 1997–1998 at five sites in the western central Pacific spanning a geographic distance of ~5,000 km: New Caledonia, Great Barrier Reef, Palau, Marshall Islands, and Pohnpei (Micronesia). Primer pairs were developed to examine genetic variation at three polymorphic microsatellite loci. Cluster analysis, using genetic distance, revealed three regional groupings: (1) Palau, (2) Pohnpei and the Marshall Islands, and (3) the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia. Highly significant allele frequency differences were observed among sites. At Pohnpei, significant allele frequency differences in successive years were also apparent, possibly related to genetic variation among cohorts or between local spawning groups. The inter-annual differences at Pohnpei suggest that there may be further genetic structuring over relatively modest distances, a finding relative to determining management units for this commercially valuable species and suggests that future studies need to incorporate possible small-scale temporal or spatial components into study design.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank A. Ball, L. Chapman, B. Eleby, M. Kulbicki, E. Liew, N. Morgan, A. Olpet, B. Paul, M. Samoilys and L. Squire. Institutional support was provided by IFREMER, the Marine Environmental Research Institute of Pohnpei (MERIP), the Overseas Fisheries Cooperation Foundation (OFCF), Pohnpei Office of Marine Development, Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority (MIMRA), and Coral Reef Research Foundation (CRRF). The authors would also like to thank the people of Pohnpei, Kitti Municipality, and the Pohnpei State Government. Research funding was provided by the Research Grants Council of the Hong Kong SAR (HKU7246/97 M) and the American Museum of Natural History, Lerner–Grey Foundation. These experiments comply with the current laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, People's Republic of China.

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Author notes

  1. K. L. Rhodes

    Present address: , 8412 Asmara Drive, Austin, TX 78750, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Biodiversity, The University of Hong Kong, Kadoorie Biological Sciences Building, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong, China

    K. L. Rhodes & Y. Sadovy

  2. Fish Health and Aquaculture Programme, Fisheries and Aquatic Science Unit, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Room 405, Cromwell House, Dean Stanley Street, London, SW1P 3JH, UK

    R. I. Lewis

  3. South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, P.O. Box 12559, Charleston, SC 29422-2559, USA

    R. W. Chapman

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  1. K. L. Rhodes
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  4. Y. Sadovy
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Correspondence to K. L. Rhodes.

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Communicated by J.P. Grassle, New Brunswick

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Rhodes, K.L., Lewis, R.I., Chapman, R.W. et al. Genetic structure of camouflage grouper, Epinephelus polyphekadion (Pisces: Serranidae), in the western central Pacific. Marine Biology 142, 771–776 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00227-002-1002-7

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