Genetic differentiation of charrs in the Russian north and far east

• Published in: Journal of Fish Biology
• Main Authors: Salmenkova, E. A., Omelchenko, V. T., Kolesnikov, A. A., Malinina, T. V.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2000
• Subjects: Russian North; Salvelinus alpinus
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2000.tb02250.x; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fj.1095-8649.2000.tb02250.x; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1095-8649.2000.tb02250.x

Genetic differences and relationships within charrs Salvelinus alpinus , northern and southern S. malma, S. taranetzi, S. levanidovi and S. leucomaenis , were studied by examination of 31–35 allozyme loci and PCR‐RFLP analysis of mtDNA segment (about 2600 bp) including the cytochrome b gene and D‐loop. Data for mtDNA were also obtained for samples of S. drjagini, S. albus and for European samples of S. alpinus. Generally allozyme and mtDNA segment analyses produced similar pictures of genetic divergence and relationships. The southern S. malma exhibited the greatest genetic variability (allozyme heterozygosity and mtDNA haplotype diversity). S. alpinus, S. malma, S. levanidovi and S. leucomaenis had fixed differences from one another at various allozyme loci, and differed in fixed (but polymorphic in S. malma ) individual mtDNA haplotypes produced with MspI restrictase. Such genetic individuality is typical of distinct taxa. S. taranetzi is closest genetically to allopatric S. alpinus , but exhibited fixed differences from the northern S. malma in sympatry. In all samples of S. alpinus the only mtDNA haplotype was shared with S. drjagini. S. albus shared its single haplotype with the northern S. malma from the same locality. S. leucomaenis is differentiated from the other species to the greatest extent, possibly reflecting an early evolutionary divergence. Some evolutionary and taxonomic implications of the genetic relationships of charrs studied are discussed.