Genetic variation and population structure of spottybelly greenling (Hexagrammos agrammus) in Korean coasts analyzed by DNA markers emphasizing on microsatellites

Two nuclear microsatellite DNA loci along with partial sequences of mitochondrial DNA tRNAPRO-D-loop region were analyzed to assess the genetic diversity and population genetic structure of spottybelly greenling (Hexagrammos agrammus). A total of 85 individuals were investigated from two different locations at the East and the South coasts of Korea which are Imwonjin (IM) and Tongyeong (TN), respectively. In the analysis of genetic diversity, nucleotide diversities were low showing 0.01 whereas haplotype diversities were as high as 0.92 and 0.97 in IM and TN populations, respectively indicating population bottleneck after rapid growth of these populations. No significant genealogical branches or clusters were recognized on the neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree. Pairwise population statistics FST and the exact test of population differentiation from the analysis of microsatellite DNA loci demonstrated no significant genetic difference between two populations investigated in the Korean coasts. In addition, significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and heterozygote deficiencies were found from the microsatellite DNA loci. The results of the study will help to make a plan for fisheries management of the species.