Abstract
In 2001, the white abalone Haliotis sorenseni became the first marine invertebrate in United States waters to receive federal protection as an endangered species. Prior to the endangered species listing, 20 abalone were collected as potential broodstock for a captive rearing program. Using DNA from these animals, we have developed genetic markers, including five nuclear microsatellite loci and partial sequences of one nuclear (VERL) and two mitochondrial (COI and CytB) genes, to assess genetic variability in the species, aid in species identification, and potentially track the success of future outplanting of captive-reared animals. All five microsatellite loci were polymorphic and followed expectations of simple Mendelian inheritance in laboratory crosses. Each of the wild-caught adult abalone exhibited a unique composite microsatellite genotype, suggesting that significant genetic variation remains in natural populations. A combination of nuclear and mitochondrial gene sequencing demonstrated that one of the original wild-caught animals was, in fact, not a white abalone, but H. kamtschatkana (possibly subspecies assimilis). Similarly, another animal of uncertain identity accidentally collected by dredging was also shown to be H. kamtschatkana. Inclusion of these two animals as broodstock could have resulted in unintentional hybridizations detrimental to the white abalone recovery program. Molecular genetic identifications will be useful both in preventing broodstock contamination and as markers for future restocking operations.
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Acknowledgements
This publication was supported in part by the National Sea Grant College Program of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration under NOAA Grant #NA06RG0142 and #NA04OAR4170038, project #R/F-189 and #R/F-196, through the California Sea Grant College Program; and in part by the California State Resources Agency. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of any of those organizations. The authors are also grateful for additional funding provided by the Marine Conservation Biology Institute of Redmond, WA, and the National Science Foundation’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program. Adult white abalone information and samples were provided by Thomas B. McCormick at the Channel Islands Marine Resource Institute (CIMRI) in Port Hueneme, CA, and Proteus Seafarms International, Inc., in Oxnard, CA, and Neal Hooker from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Thomas McCormick also performed the crosses and generously provided the white abalone juveniles and larvae. The SWFSC sample was obtained from Russ Vetter and Larry Robertson at USDOC NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center in La Jolla, CA. We would also like to thank Dr. Vic D. Vacquier for discussion on VERL and Dr. David L. Leighton for the gift of his book (Leighton 2000). Finally, we are grateful to Dr. John Huelsenbeck for help with the phylogenetic analyses.
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Gruenthal, K., Burton, R. Genetic diversity and species identification in the endangered white abalone (Haliotis sorenseni). Conserv Genet 6, 929–939 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-005-9079-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-005-9079-4