Genetic Structure of Perch Perca Fluviatilis (L.) Populations in Latvian Rivers that are Fragmented (Daugava) and Non-Fragmented (Lielupe) By Hydroelectric Dams

Abstract

Water ecosystems have an important role in maintenance of biological diversity and environmental quality in Latvia. Fish resources are one of the most valuable biological resources in Latvia. To evaluate the influence of economic activity (anthropogenic influence of cities, hydroelectric power stations) on freshwater ecosystems, the genetic structure of perch Perca fluviatilis (L.) populations in Daugava River and Lielupe River was studied. The genetic structure of the perch populations from Daugava River and Lielupe River was investigated using 9 DNA microsatellites (Pfla L4, Pfla L10, Pfla L2, Pfla L6, YP111, YP78, YP60, Svi L10, Svi L7), and by genetic diversity, the level of polymorphism, means of alleles per locus, observed and expected heterozygosity, and population structuring. It was shown that the perch population in the Daugava River in the territory of Riga was significantly different from the other populations and there was a lower level of heterozygosity in this population. In the Daugava River, genetic differentiation was significant for fish populations between Ķegums Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) and Riga HPP reservoirs due to the fragmentation of population by HPP dams.

Trends of Eurasian Perch (Perca fluviatilis) mtDNA ATP6 Region Genetic Diversity within the Hydro-Systems of the Eastern Part of the Baltic Sea in the Anthropocene

“…Given that the newly built ANPP is located near the Lithuanian border, the accumulation and monitoring of genetic data based on mtDNA and nuclear markers of perch and other fish species from different sites of the Neris River should be investigated continually by following previous recommendations [99,109,110]. An investigation into the fragmentation of perch genetic variability caused by hydroelectric dams constructed in Latvia using DNA microsatellites was recently begun [25]. The study is going to be continued and expanded using mtDNA markers.…”

“…Global freshwater ecosystems and their biodiversity are susceptible to anthropogenic impacts that are not limited to NPP and TPP activities, which affect aquatic abiotic, biotic, and genetic resources [20][21][22]. These ecosystems have great survival, ecological, commercial, and scientific value to humankind [23][24][25]. In these ecosystems, freshwater fish play an important role in food chains [26].…”

“…Thus far, perch populations have been studied using various mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) [38,48], DNA microsatellite [49][50][51][52][53], restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) [54,55], random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) [56], amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) [57], major histocompatibility complex (MHC) [58,59], inter-primer binding site (iPBS) [47], and inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) [60] molecular DNA markers. Most studies have sequenced the mtDNA D-loop region [35,41,[61][62][63] or used DNA microsatellites that are not specific for perch [25,[64][65][66]. Just recently, other mtDNA regions, such as cytb, 16S RNA, and cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI), have been included in comprehensive studies [38,67].…”