Assessment of genetic structure of wild populations of mrigal carp, Cirrhinus cirrhosus by microsatellite DNA markers

The genetic structure of mrigal carp, Cirrhinus cirrhosus was analysed using six microsatellite DNA markers (MFW1, MFW2, MFW17, Bgon22, Barb54, and Bgon17) to detect genetic variations among fish samples from the three rivers, the Halda, the Padma, and the Jamuna in Bangladesh. All the populations showed polymorphism at all loci except Bgon17. Genetic richness of the Halda and Padma populations was indicated by the presence of rare alleles, two in Halda at MFW2 (160 bp) and MFW17 (201 bp), and one in Padma at Bgon22 (96 bp). The highest average number of allele (2.8) was observed in the Halda followed by the Padma (2.6) and the Jamuna (2.4). The observed heterozygosity (H-o) was highest (0.400) in the Padma followed by the Halda (0.383) and the Jamuna (0.377). The highest (0.0257) population differentiation (F-ST) value was observed between the Halda and Padma populations and the lowest (0.0143) between the Padma and Jamuna populations. The highest gene flow (N-m) was recorded between the Padma and Jamuna populations (17.1756) and the lowest between the Halda and Padma populations (9.4832). The highest (0.037) genetic distance (D) was observed between the Halda and Padma populations and the lowest (0.0195) between the Jamuna and Padma populations. The results indicated a low level of genetic variation regarding allelic richness and heterozygosity among wild stocks of C. cirrhosus and indicated it might be advisable to take necessary measures for the conservation and enhancement of C. cirrhosus genetic resources.