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Natural and anthropogenic drivers of genetic structure and low genetic variation in the endangered freshwater cod, Maccullochella mariensis

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Abstract

Population genetic theory has identified several threats to small populations that have the potential to endanger species in the short and long term. Understanding these threats is particularly pertinent when management actions, such as stocking, have the potential to exacerbate them. In this study we explore existing genetic variation in the threatened Mary River Cod, Maccullochella mariensis, which has had a long stocking history in its endemic populations (Mary River and Tinana–Coondoo Creek) and has been translocated into other catchments in Southeast Queensland (SEQ). Using Bayesian clustering analysis, two genetically distinct sub-populations were detected (Mary and SEQ vs. Tinana–Coondoo), despite decades of stocking from one population (Tinana–Coondoo) into the other (Mary). Overall, genetic diversity (1–9 alleles per locus) and N e (18–56) were low, but bigger in the Mary, relative to Tinana–Coondoo. Interestingly, evidence for historical unidirectional gene flow from Tinana–Coondoo into the Mary was detected, which was not as strongly reflected using contemporary estimators, suggesting stocking has not dramatically altered the existing genetic structure for this species. These results provide an opportunity for managers to strategically design stocking protocols and to improve the condition of this species in the wild.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Sharon Marshall, Andrew McDougall, Tess Mullins, Tim Riseley, Steve Brooks and George Miller for assistance with sampling. Samples were also donated by Vince Collis, Russell Manning, Stuart Rowland, Cathy Nock, Steven Brooks, Bob Simpson and the Logan-Albert Fish Management Association (LAFMA). First, a special thanks goes to various landholders in the Mary valley for their hospitality and access to various watercourses. Finally, we would like to thank Peter Kind and Dan Schmidt for discussions around this manuscript. Sampling was conducted under DPI Fisheries Permit 94765 and ethics permit CA 2008/03/253 (DPI AEC).

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  1. Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, 170 Kessels Road, Nathan Campus, Nathan, Brisbane, QLD, 4111, Australia

    Joel A. Huey & Jane M. Hughes

  2. Queensland Department of Natural Resources and Mines, Bundaberg, QLD, 4670, Australia

    Thomas Espinoza

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  1. Joel A. Huey
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Correspondence to Joel A. Huey.

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Huey, J.A., Espinoza, T. & Hughes, J.M. Natural and anthropogenic drivers of genetic structure and low genetic variation in the endangered freshwater cod, Maccullochella mariensis . Conserv Genet 14, 997–1008 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-013-0490-y

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