Genetic diversity analysis of Topmouth Culter (Culter alburnus) based on microsatellites and D-loop sequences

Chromosome‐level genome assembly and whole‐genome resequencing of topmouth culter (Culter alburnus) provide insights into the intraspecific variation of its semi‐buoyant and adhesive eggs

“…Topmouth culter ( Culter alburnus ) is a Culterinae fish species belonging to the family Cyprinidae, and in China, it is known as the white fish with high economic value (Ren et al, 2019). It is a widespread species distributed across major drainages in China, except Tibetan Plateau, inhabiting divergent habitats such as rivers, reservoirs and lakes (Qi et al, 2015; Sun et al, 2021). Interestingly, the topmouth culter has two ecotypes that differ in spawning habits: in lakes such as Liangzi Lake and Taihu Lake in the Yangtze River basin, it lays adhesive eggs that stick to aquatic plants or rocks, whereas in other water bodies (including both rivers and lakes), it spawns semi‐buoyant (floating) eggs that float in fast‐flowing waters (Chen et al, 2022; Sun et al, 2021).…”

“…It is a widespread species distributed across major drainages in China, except Tibetan Plateau, inhabiting divergent habitats such as rivers, reservoirs and lakes (Qi et al, 2015; Sun et al, 2021). Interestingly, the topmouth culter has two ecotypes that differ in spawning habits: in lakes such as Liangzi Lake and Taihu Lake in the Yangtze River basin, it lays adhesive eggs that stick to aquatic plants or rocks, whereas in other water bodies (including both rivers and lakes), it spawns semi‐buoyant (floating) eggs that float in fast‐flowing waters (Chen et al, 2022; Sun et al, 2021). Evolutionary reconstruction of the endemic East Asian cyprinids has revealed an ancestral state of spawning adhesive egg and subsequent independent parallel evolution of floating eggs, in which some species of cultrins and xenocyprinins evolved a transition from floating eggs to adhesive eggs again, such as that found in the topmouth culter (Chen et al, 2021; Chen, Xue et al, 2023; Cheng et al, 2022).…”

“…However, overfishing, water pollution and habitat fragmentation or loss have been threatening the natural populations of topmouth culter (Qi et al, 2015). Previous studies based on putatively neutral markers such as mitochondrial DNA and microsatellites have reported the genetic structure of the geographical isolated populations of the species (Qi et al, 2015; Sun et al, 2021; Xiong et al, 2019). All these studies indicate that wild topmouth culter resources must be protected to prevent further decline of its populations.…”

Comparison of the Intestinal Structure and Intestinal Microbiome between Two Geographically Isolated Populations of Culter alburnus

“…Topmouth culter (Culter alburnus) is a fish species with high economic value distributed throughout China [4,5]. Many geographical populations of C. alburnus are formed and distributed in Xingkai Lake, Yellow River, Huai River, Yangtze River, and other river systems, which present differentiated population structures and substantial divergent characters [5][6][7]. Among the geographical populations of C. alburnus is Xingkai Lake, located in Heilongjiang Province, in the northern part of China (45°20′ N, 132°40′ E).…”

“…Among the geographical populations of C. alburnus is Xingkai Lake, located in Heilongjiang Province, in the northern part of China (45°20′ N, 132°40′ E). Due to its unique geographic position and water environment, the C. alburnus population of Xingkai Lake forms an independent population structure, and presents divergent characters such as the characteristics of eggs, body shape, growth, and development compared to other populations of C. alburnus in the southern part of China, such as in the Yangtze River region [5,8,9]. The unique biological characteristics of the Xingkai Lake population make it an excellent model to investigate adaptation and genetic differentiation due to an isolated environment.…”