Genetic analysis of two Portuguese populations of by RAPD profiling

Jorge C. Pereira (1) , Raquel Chaves (1, 2) , Alexandra Leitão (3) , Domitilia Matias (3) , Henrique Guedes-Pinto (1)

1 IBB - Institute for Biotechnology and Bioengineering
2 Department of Genetics and Biotechnology
3 Instituto Nacional de Recursos Biológicos (INRB/L-IPIMAR)

The clam is commercially important in the south of Portugal. The random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) technique was applied to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of two Portuguese populations occurring in the Ria Formosa (Faro) and the Ria de Alvor, respectively. Twenty-five individuals of each population were investigated by RAPD profiles. Genetic diversity within populations, measured by the percentage of polymorphic loci (), varied between 68.57% (Alvor) and 73.88% (Faro). Shannon's information index () and Nei's gene diversity () were 0.281 and 0.176, respectively, for the Alvor population and 0.356 and 0.234 for the Faro population. Overall, genetic variation within populations was high. The total genetic diversity () was explained by a low variation between populations ( = 0.145), which is consistent with high gene flow ( = 2.9). The analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) showed that 65% of variability is within populations and 35% between populations (Φ = 0.345;  ≥ 0.001). The value of Nei's genetic distance was 0.0881, showing a low degree of population genetic distance, despite the different geographic origin. This is the first study on the population genetics of by RAPD technique. The results may be useful for restocking programs and aquaculture.

Mots clés: RAPDs; Genetic diversity; Genetic differentiation

Jorge C. Pereira, Raquel Chaves, Alexandra Leitão, Domitilia Matias, Henrique Guedes-Pinto. Genetic analysis of two Portuguese populations of by RAPD profiling. Helgoland Marine Research, 2010, 65 (3), pp.361-367. ⟨10.1007/s10152-010-0229-9⟩. ⟨hal-00633607⟩