Hanna Panagiotopoulou, Danijela Popović, Anna Stanković, Ryszard Kolman, Marek Raczkowski, Mirosław Szczepkowski
ABSTRACT. Work to restore the Baltic sturgeon was begun in Poland in 2004. The initial material has comprised mainly fertilized Atlantic sturgeon eggs imported annually from Canada. The aim of the current study was to use to perform genetic analyses based on 16 microsatellite loci of Atlantic sturgeon wild spawners used in artificial reproduction and breeding in 2011. These results were compared to those of previous analyses of individual Atlantic sturgeon bred for the restoration of this species in Poland and to individuals from the founder population from the Saint John River.
The analysis of polymorphism indicated that the genetic variation of the 2011 fry was similar to that observed in previous years. It was confirmed that groups of 2011 fry, designated as 1 and 2, originated from two different females. The group 1 fry were the progeny of one female and three males, while those in group 2 were the progeny of one female and two males. The reproductive success of the males was not equal, and in both instances the same male dominated. Some of the individuals used in breeding were related, which can produce negative inbreeding impacts in the progeny of these pairs. In the interests of building a future broodstock from the year class analyzed in this study, it would be optimal to identify individuals that originate from each pairing in equal numbers.
Keywords: Atlantic sturgeon, microsatellite loci, genetic polymorphism, Baltic sturgeon restoration
Przyjęto po recenzji 30.11.2012 r.