Genetic differentiation in red‐bellied piranha populations (Pygocentrus nattereri, Kner, 1858) from the Solimões‐Amazonas River

Abstract

Red‐bellied piranhas (Pygocentrus nattereri) are widely caught with different intensities throughout the region of Solimões‐Amazonas River by local fishermen. Thus, the management of this resource is performed in the absence of any information on its genetic stock. P. nattereri is a voracious predator and widely distributed in the Neotropical region, and it is found in other regions of American continent. However, information about genetic variability and structure of wild populations of red‐bellied piranha is unavailable. Here, we describe the levels of genetic diversity and genetic structure of red‐bellied piranha populations collected at different locations of Solimões‐Amazonas River system. We collected 234 red‐bellied piranhas and analyzed throughout eight microsatellite markers. We identified high genetic diversity within populations, although the populations of lakes ANA, ARA, and MAR have shown some decrease in their genetic variability, indicating overfishing at these communities. Was identified the existence of two biological populations when the analysis was taken altogether at the lakes of Solimões‐Amazonas River system, with significant genetic differentiation between them. The red‐bellied piranha populations presented limited gene flow between two groups of populations, which were explained by geographical distance between these lakes. However, high level of gene flow was observed between the lakes within of the biological populations. We have identified high divergence between the Catalão subpopulation and all other subpopulations. We suggest the creation of sustainable reserve for lakes near the city of Manaus to better manage and protect this species, whose populations suffer from both extractive and sport fishing.

Molecular Data Reveal Multiple Lineages in Piranhas of the Genus Pygocentrus (Teleostei, Characiformes)

“…For example, the phylogeographic study of Pygocentrus based on the mtDNA control region found P. nattereri with structured genetic lineages in which the Paraná, Ucayali and Madeira lineages appeared genetically closer to each other than to the lineage from mainstream Rio Amazonas [13]. Population genetic studies within P. nattereri from the northeastern Brazil [16] and from the Rio Solimões/Amazonas [17] have also shown high levels of genetic diversity and significant genetic differentiation among populations. The maintenance of P. nattereri in captivity likely enabled the introduction of P. nattereri in several Asian rivers including in Bangladesh [18], China [9] and the Philippines [19,20].…”

“…Here, we used partial sequences of the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I ( COI ) and modern phylogenetic and species delimitation methods in order to (1) test the morphological hypothesis of the presence of three species of Pygocentrus [10], (2) test the population genetic hypothesis of multiple genetically-structured populations of P. nattereri [13,16,17], and (3) determine the geographic origin of recently introduced specimens of P. nattereri in Asia [20].…”

River Reorganization Affects Populations of Dwarf Cichlid Species (Apistogramma Genus) in the Lower Negro River, Brazil

“…Geological events may have been important in the diversification of the genus Apistogramma (Römer, 2006), as well as the biology of this genus, and the habitat characteristics influence the genetic structure of their populations (see Figures 4A-C). Thus, understanding genetic structure is critical in evolutionary and conservation biology, and discriminating fish sub-populations is essential for detecting possible reproductive isolation (Santos et al, 2016).…”

“…Thus, for conservation measures to be effective, they must be based on the information between environment and organism, in order to avoid local extinction of threatened species. The integration of some types of analyses, such as species distribution, phenotypic variation, landscape change, and population genetics, can contribute to management and conservation strategies (Santos et al, 2011(Santos et al, , 2016Escobar et al, 2015;Gravena et al, 2015). In addition, knowledge of the biology of the species is vital for defining a conservation strategy, particularly in areas under environmental pressure.…”