Population Genetic Structure of Liza affinis (Eastern Keelback Mullet), Reveals High Gene Flow Inferred from Microsatellite Analysis

The population genetic studies of marine fishes usually show complex patterns of genetic differentiation which were influenced by both historical process and contemporary gene flow. Genetic structure of eight different populations for eastern keelback mullet, Liza affinis, collected from the coast along eastern and southern China, was examined using six microsatellite loci. We found strong genetic similarities among most of the samples except the Dongguan population and most microsatellite variation was found within populations. All loci were characterized by high genetic variability with expected heterozygosities ranging from 0.871 to 0.928. The Bayesian cluster analysis of the microsatellite data detected four genetic groups with no relation to geographic areas. The bottleneck results also showed no significant values. Based on these data we postulated that complex marine currents and larval dispersal shaped the genetic structured of studied populations. The present study illustrated the importance of understanding the biological significance of genetic differentiation when using molecular data in identifying units for management and protection.