Assemblage of spawning pairs based on their individual genetic profiles - as tool for maintaining genetic variation within sturgeon populations.

摘要

Natural selection favours individuals that are better adapted to live in natural environment than in captivity (Kim, Withler, Ritland & Cheng 2004). Broodstocks kept in hatcheries are usually limited in size and thus vulnerable to progressive domestication (Koljonen, Jansson, Paaver, Vasin & Koskiniemi 1999; Koljonen, Ta¨htinen, Sa¨isa¨ & Koskiniemi 2002; Verspoor, Beardmore, Consuegra, Garc?′a de Le′aniz, Hindar, Jordan, Koljonen, Mahkrov, Paaver, Sa′nchez, Skaala, Titov & Cross 2005). The founder effect as well as crossbreeding of closely related individuals may decrease the allelic diversity and heterozygosity within a conserved population and consequently reduce its viability (Bryant, McCommas & Combs 1986; Shikano & Taniguchi 2002). The consequences of decreasing genetic variation in sturgeon populations might be dif?cult to reverse because most of these ?sh are long living and latematurating species (Kaczmarczyk 2007).