**The title, authors, and abstract for this completion
report are provided below. For a copy of
the completion report, please contact the GLFC via e-mail or via telephone at 734-662-3209**
A
comparison of genetic diversity at the major histocompatibility
complex in hatchery-produced and wild lake sturgeon
Amy Welsh2 and Brian Sloss3
2 SUNY-Oswego, Department of Biological Sciences, 7060
State Route 104, Oswego, NY 13126
3 U.S. Geological Survey, Wisconsin
Cooperative Fishery Research Unit, USGS, College of Natural Resources,
University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point, Stevens Point, WI 54481
December 2009
ABSTRACT:
Many lake sturgeon populations are below
their historic population size and stocking is a management strategy that is
being implemented to help recover the species. One of the risks of stocking is
a loss of genetic diversity. The major histocompatibility
complex (MHC) plays an important role in the immune defense system of
vertebrates and loss of diversity at this locus could have serious effects on
the fitness of the population. We analyzed MHC diversity in two groups of
larvae produced in the wild and one group of larvae produced in the hatchery.
Genetic diversity was also analyzed at 12 microsatellite loci to see diversity
at neutral loci was a good predictor of diversity at adaptive loci. Diversity
at the neutral microsatellite loci was not correlated to diversity at the MHC.
The hatchery group did not have a reduction in heterozygosity
at the MHC. However, there were fewer alleles represented in the hatchery
group, with the rare alleles not being well represented. The absence of these
rare alleles could affect the evolutionary potential of stocked fish.