Population Structure and Genetic Diversity of Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) in Canada: Evaluation of Designatable Units for Conservation

• Main Author: Kjartanson, Shawna
• Other Authors: Lovejoy, Nathan
• Language: en_ca
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: microsatellite DNA; conservation; lake sturgeon; COSEWIC; 0369
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1807/17691

The lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens), is a species with considerable ecological, social and economic value. Unfortunately, over-exploitation and habitat alteration have led to the collapse of lake sturgeon fisheries across North America. Based on conservation concerns, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) identified eight designatable units (DUs) among Canadian populations of lake sturgeon using the limited information available. These DUs are intended to represent taxonomically, genetically, geographically, or biogeographically distinct units below the species level. In this study, the genetic structuring among 20 lake sturgeon localities was examined using nine microsatellite loci. Lake sturgeon localities conformed to hierarchical partitioning of genetic diversity, with the greatest genetic divergence between localities in the Great Lakes and Hudson Bay drainages. Finally, minimal divergences among the current DUs warrant adjustment of lake sturgeon DU boundaries, to more appropriately reflect the distribution of genetic differentiation among lake sturgeon localities.