Phylogeography of the threatened tetraploid fish, Schizothorax waltoni, in the Yarlung Tsangpo River on the southern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau: implications for conservation

Abstract

The phylogeography of Schizothorax waltoni , an endemic and endangered tetraploid schizothoracine fish in the Yarlung Tsangpo River (YLTR) on southern margin of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau (QTP), was investigated using two mitochondrial DNA regions and eleven microsatellite loci. Analyses of concatenated sequences of cytochrome b (1141 bp) and the control region (712 bp) revealed high haplotype diversity and moderate nucleotide diversity. High genetic diversity was observed based on microsatellite variation. Both mtDNA and microsatellite analyses revealed significant genetic differentiation between the eastern population (Mainling) and the other four populations to the west, and non-significant genetic differentiation amongst the three central populations in the west. Significant genetic differentiation was observed between the western population (Shigatse) and the three central populations based on microsatellite analyses alone. Bayesian skyline plot analyses showed that S. waltoni experienced a pronounced population expansion 0.05 to 0.10 Ma. Hierarchical structure analyses of microsatellite data indicated that S. waltoni could be split into three groups (western, central and eastern YLTR). The results indicate that three management units should be considered for S. waltoni . Our findings highlight the need for the conservation and effective management of S. waltoni , which is a key member of the endemic and highly threatened fishes of the QTP.

Population genetic structure of the yellow catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco) in China inferred from microsatellite analyses: implications for fisheries management and breeding

“…Caudal fin clips were taken from each individual and stored in 100% ethanol for DNA extraction. Genomic DNA isolation and concentration estimation were performed following Guo et al (2019). Finally, DNA was diluted to ∼40 ng/μL and stored at −20°C until use.…”

The geography of genetic data: Current status and future perspectives

“…Large scale geographic data analysis provides an effective way to understand the extensive impact of geographic, geological and climatic changes on species distribution (Guralnick and Hill, 2009;Pope et al, 2015;Pelletier et al, 2022). The integration of sequence and distribution data can help reveal mechanisms underlying species spatial patterns and the historical evolutionary processes (Avise, 2000(Avise, , 2009, as well as determine conservation units (Guo et al, 2019).…”

Genetic Variation in Schizothorax kozlovi Nikolsky in the Upper Reaches of the Chinese Yangtze River Based on Genotyping for Simplified Genome Sequencing

“…However, there are still some confusing clustering relationships, which might have greatly weakened the resolution in the discrimination of Schizothorax species based on the cytb gene [ 7 ]. Furthermore, the cytochrome b (1141 bp) gene and the control region (712 bp) were used to analyze the phylogeography of S. waltoni in the Yarlung Tsangpo River (YLTR) on the southern margin of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau [ 8 ]. However, there are some limitations to the use of mitochondrial genes to reveal population evolution, such as the relatively small size of the mitochondrial genome in the whole fish genome and nuclear mitochondrial pseudogene sequence contamination or sequencing errors [ 7 , 9 ].…”