Genetic analysis of four European huchen (Hucho hucho Linnaeus, 1758) broodstocks from Poland, Germany, Slovakia, and Ukraine: implication for conservation

Four broodstocks of European huchen (Hucho hucho) from: Poland, Germany, Slovakia, and Ukraine were investigated using ten microsatellite DNA loci. Microsatellite DNA analysis was successfully applied for the first time in the Polish broodstock of this fish species. The genetic variation and genetic distance between these broodstocks were evaluated. In addition, we examined the potential effects of a genetic bottleneck on the genetic variation of the broodstocks. The European huchen broodstocks exhibited moderate genetic diversity (PIC = 0.405–0.496 and I = 0.831–1.047) with the exception of German broodstock which presented higher genetic diversity (PIC = 0.590 and I = 1.254). Observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity across the investigated loci in all broodstocks ranged from 0.434 to 0.686 and from 0.452 to 0.650, respectively. Overall, the studied broodstocks were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium (HWE); however, from 8 to 42 % of the loci deviated from HWE in each stock. The Garza-Williamson index (M = 0.146–0.279) and values of the heterozygosity excess revealed a reduction of genetic variation in all studied broodstocks because of the founder or bottleneck effect. The analysis of genetic differentiation (Fst) and Nei’s genetic distance between pairs of broodstocks revealed that Polish and Ukrainian broodstocks of European huchen were characterized by the closest genetic distance. In contrast, the highest genetic divergence parameters (Fst and Nei’s distance) were observed among German, Slovak, and Ukrainian broodstocks.