title: Population genetics of the Pacific abalone (Haliotis  discus hannai) in Korea inferred from microsatellite marker analysis.
abstract: Populations of the Pacific abalone, Haliotis discus  hannai, have been severely overexploited over the past few decades in  Korea. Information regarding the levels of genetic variability and structure  within populations is insufficient for the development of effective strategies  for conservation of genetic diversity of this species. To assess the genetic  status of this species, we examined variation at six microsatellite loci in 842  individuals of Pacific abalone collected from three hatchery stocks of the main  aquaculture areas and eight wild populations, which were two from the East Sea,  two from the West Sea and three from the South Sea. High levels of polymorphism  at these microsatellite loci were found in both the wild and hatchery  populations. The genetic variation in the hatchery stocks [overall number of  alleles (N(A)) = 24.00; allelic richness (A(R)) = 19.71; observed heterozygosity (H(O)) = 0.733] was similar to that of the wild (overall N(A) = 28.13; A(R) = 22.62; H(O) = 0.775) populations. Low levels of inbreeding and  significant Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium deviations were detected in both the  wild and hatchery populations. Significant F(ST) values were observed for the hatchery stocks and in  most cases between the wild and hatchery populations (overall F(ST) = 0.017, P < 0.01); however, only a minor portion  of the genetic diversity was distributed between the wild and hatchery  populations. These results reflect intensive seedling and stocking practices.  This preliminary study showed genetic separation between the eastern and pooled  western and southern wild populations in Korea, which was based on the F(ST) value, phylogenetic tree clustering, PCA and MDS  analyses, structure analysis, and AMOVA. This strong biogeographic structure of H. d. hannai in Korea may be considered to be independent  management units. This study demonstrates the feasibility of microsatellite  analyses for the monitoring of genetic diversity and for revealing the  population structure of the wild Pacific abalone. This information will be  useful for the proper management and conservation of H. d. hannai in  Korea.
authors.affiliation: Biotechnology Research Division, National Fisheries Research and Development Institute, Busan, Korea. hsan@nfrdi.go.kr
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: An
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Park
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000235:genetics; D005398:Fisheries; D049851:Gastropoda / Q000235:genetics*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D005843:Geography; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats / Q000235:genetics*; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010802:Phylogeny; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D056910:Republic of Korea