New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research abstracts

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Lack of genetic divergence found with microsatellite DNA markers in the tarakihi Nemadactylus macropterus

Christopher P. Burridge^1,2
Adam J. Smolenski²

¹School of Ecology and Environment
Deakin University
P.O. Box 423
Warrnambool, VIC 3280
Australia
email: chrisb@deakin.edu.au

²School of Zoology
University of Tasmania
GPO Box 252 05
Hobart, TAS 7001
Australia

Abstract   Three classes of molecular markers are commonly employed during population genetic studies of marine taxa: allozymes, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and microsatellite DNA. These markers differ in their levels of polymorphism, and the ease and cost of their application. Nemadactylus macropterus is a commercially important marine fish from New Zealand and southern Australia that has been the subject of genetic (allozyme, mtDNA) and non-genetic (otolith microchemistry, larval advection) studies of stock structure. We collected microsatellite DNA data from this species to compare the utility of these molecular markers with those genetic methods previously applied to N. macropterus. Microsatellites did not indicate significant divergence among Australian samples, or between Australian and New Zealand samples. The latter is incongruent with the allozyme and mtDNA studies, and it is suggested that allelic homoplasy has hindered the resolution of population structure when using microsatellites.

Keywords  microsatellite; homoplasy; population genetics; stock structure; Nemadactylus macropterus

M02065 Received 22 August 2002; accepted 7 November 2002; Published 20 June 2003
New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research, 2003, Vol. 37: 223-230
0028-8330/03/3702-0223 $7.00 © The Royal Society of New Zealand 2003

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