Population genetic structure of the tiger prawn (Penaeus monodon) in the coastal waters of South China, based on mitochondrial DNA control region sequences

P>Genetic variation and population structure of Penaeus monodon in the coastal waters of South China were detected using mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. Eighty individuals were collected at Sanya, Shenzhen, Zhanjiang and Beihai; 69 haplotypes with 157 polymorphic sites were detected. Nucleotide diversity (pi) of the combined samples (6.16 +/- 3.01%) was much higher than many other species in Chinese seas, such as Penaeus japonicus, Portunus trituberculatus, and Acanthopagrus schlegeli. Genetic differentiation was significant between Beihai and Sanya (pairwise F-ST = 0.09836, P < 0.05), and between Beihai and Shenzhen (pairwise F-ST = 0.12153, P < 0.05). Significant genetic differentiation among all populations was found by analysis of molecular variance (amova) (F-ST = 0.053, P = 0.037 < 0.05). The upgma dendrogram of the four populations showed Sanya and Shenzhen as the closest to each other, with Beihai having the greatest genetic distance from Sanya and Shenzhen. The tiger prawn of the coastal waters of South China should therefore be bred as two separated stocks, avoiding inbreeding or outbreeding selection of P. monodon in the captive breeding program. According to our results one source population is Beihai, and the others are from Sanya and Shenzhen.